Page 9This page contains the ending chapters to The Red Story.This page also contains the Prologue to The Eternal Watcher.This page also contains chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4 of The Eternal WatcherThis page also contains the holiday contest special: Hallowed Holidays, taking place within the Black War.

It’s been several days since that event in Townsville. Brick has thought long and hard about everything that happened, even if he wasn’t sure if it was real. His clothing is completely different right now. He wears a brown tattered robe to hide every part of his body. Not even is face is easily accessible. These atrocities have taught him to be careful if nothing else.

People unfortunate enough to live in and around a dump like this scurry around. If not like insects, then like worried people. The Panic may finally be grinding to a halt, but the entire world is still buckling from what went down. He looks up from the bar to view a low tech television in the corner.

“-Among things to happen during this horrible event, we take you to a rural town in Nevada.” The newscast shifts perspective to a still smoldering ruin of the place where it all went down for Brick. He grits his teeth and shoots back his drink, still keeping his eye on the TV.

“As you can see... the town is completely in shambles. From what witnesses have seen, not a single person here has survived. People recall seeing the rogue villain “Brick” of the Rowdyrough Boys present in the town and is currently considered the number one suspect in this investigation. People also recall seeing XJ-9, a robot-”

Brick chuckles to himself, phoning the rest of the newscast out.

“Sure, all the witnesses just happen to ‘miss’ Megas and the entirety of the Military...” He mumbles, shooting back another drink. It burns, but it’s what he needs right now. He’s not just here drowning his sorrows, he has a meeting to set up... he went through a lot of work to pull this off.

The bartender comes out, an unassuming young woman. Brick takes this as his cue and starts knocking on the bar island. At first the bartender pays the knocking no mind, but then she realizes that Brick is knocking in a pattern. A pattern she hasn’t heard in months.

She darts her eyes over to Brick, still tending to the bar, making 100% sure he’s making the pattern, so she waits for him to continue knocking.

Several seconds and dozens of knocks later, she turns around and taps him on the shoulder. He looks up to notice she’s already walking into the back room, but she’s opened up the way for him to get behind the bar. He quietly gets up and walks into the back room.

Brick follows her into a false wall and she turns around. She seems kind of nervous and unprofessional, obviously not the person he’s looking for, but she seems to know who he’s looking for.

“Look... you know the code so I can send you in, but mind your manners... they couldn’t stress enough how I should say that. See you.” She says hastily, bowing quickly before leaving the room and closing the false wall behind Brick.

The room is dark, but there are lights at the bottom of the stairs here. He walks down quietly and enters a brightly lit dusty room. It seems like it was abandoned for years, only to be recently moved back into. There’s a single man sitting at a table as other people walk around doing multiple things at the same time. The man looks up at Brick.

He’s pretty short, but his body language and face tell a story of hardship and cruelty. His left eye is whitened with a huge scar going down his face. He files his nails, looking right into Brick’s facial cowl, unable to see his face.

“It takes a lot of work to find us. Given your unassuming get-up, I assume you’re here for work?” – “Work? Not exactly. Help.” – “Help, huh? It’s all the same to us.” The man says boorishly, leaning back in his chair as various men and women of all ages continue to scramble around, seemingly working on the most important things of their lives.

“As you can see... we are very busy.” – “No doubt due to Operation Heroesbane...” – “Among other things, yes...” He says, looking Brick up and down one last time. He knows Brick is either one of two things. A Government assassin sent here to kill him, or a freedom fighter looking to join the good fight.

“Tell me... to whom do I offer the respect of brotherhood to?” The man asks, putting his nail file away and settling his arms on the table. Brick takes a chair and lifts the cowl from his head. As soon as the man sees Brick’s face, he smiles.

“I see... no further words are needed. You’re here for the same reason we are. Brisbaine...” – “Yeah. It was hard to track you guys down. I’m strong, but I’m not strong enough to take on Brisbaine on his home turf. I need help.” – “We are all working to end Brisbaine’s regime. The way he’s come to power during these events are sickening and we’ve all lost good friends.”

Brick looks around, his red hair spilling over his face. He hasn’t had sleep in days. The things these people are doing are specific to Heroesbane. Conspiracy papers, pictures on atrocities and one picture sticks out to Brick. He gets up from the chair, confusing the man as he walks over.

“You there, can I see that?” Brick asks a young man carrying a picture. “Uh... sure...” He says, handing it to Brick as he heads back to the table, sitting down as fast as he got up.

He can’t believe it...

The Powerpuff Girls are still alive?! All three of them flying into space and fighting some weird thing. The picture says “Magnificence.” He chuckles to himself, putting the picture on the table.

“I was certain they were dead.” He says, surprised. He looks back to the man in this criminal underworld room. “I’m sorry, I’ve been lacking manners. To whom to I owe the pleasure of working with?” – “Skarr. Once general Skarr, now just Skarr.” He says, taking something out of his pocket. It’s a cigar. Two of them to be exact.

He lights it up with a match and begins to puff it, throwing another to Brick, who catches it in mid-air with his robot hand. Skarr raises an eyebrow.

“Seems like you have more of a bone to pick than most of us, eh?” – “Ha, it’s not what it looks like. Brisbaine didn’t give me this. In fact it was the Powerpuffs... but it seems like I’m going to have to work with them to take Brisbaine down. Also, I don't smoke.“ - "Ah, yes-“ He says, blowing smoke. “Times of great peril bring once mortal enemies together.” Skarr chuckles along with Brick as Brick thinks back.

In that crazy dream, his brother told him that the reason the world was ruined was because he refused to work together with the Powerpuffs... dream or no that definitely gives him the motivation to at least see their side of the story. He also can’t get the image of that brown haired girl out of his head. She’s been in his head since the day he woke up in Townsville. She was so beautiful, but he also felt like he knew her.

Like... fate drew them together, only to rip them away. Someone he can’t bear to be without. Funny, he’s never met that chick in his life. He’s been hoping to drown her image out with hard liquor, but she’s here to stay, it seems.

“So... first order of business?” Brick says out of the blue, catching Skarr off guard as he continues to smoke his cigar. “Well... you came at a good time. We wouldn’t even be here tomorrow.” – “Does... that mean-“ – “Yes. Our operation takes place tomorrow.”

Brick raises an eyebrow. “Why so sudden?” – “You saw the picture, right?” – “The Powerpuff Girls?” He says, flipping the picture over and looking at it. “What about it? What about them?” Skarr smiles and leans back in his chair again.

“You don’t really keep up with events inland, do you? Bubbles is setting up to release a press conference soon about the nature of Heroesbane.” – “Bubbles is? Why her? Why not Blossom?” – “Because Blossom’s-“ He begins to say as Brick raises his eyebrow again. Skarr puts his chair down and looks him in the eye.

“You... you don’t know, do you?” – “What? Know what?” Skarr darts his eye around, unsure of how to answer this. He knows deep down it doesn’t really matter, but he wants to let the kid down gently.

“Blossom is... gone, you see.” – “Gone...?” – “She’s... dead, Brick.” Brick looks at Skarr and blinks. He looks on the table at the cigar. “You know what? I think I’ll have this after all.” – “I thought you didn’t smoke. Haha!” – “Can I get a match?” – “Catch.” He says, flicking one over to Brick, him catching it in mid-air and striking it on his metal hand to catch it on fire.

He puffs it in his mouth and leans back in his chair.

“Dead, huh? Know how it went down?” – “No real details. As we caught in that picture you saw, she was alive before she went into battle with Magnificence. Then... she wasn’t.” Brick sighs, smoke floating out of his mouth. “I don’t really know how to feel about that, though I guess it doesn’t change much. After all, I thought they were all dead not even five minutes ago.” – “True.” Skarr says, looking at his wristwatch.

“We head out at seven in the morning.” – “Head out where?” – “The press conference is at eight. From what I hear, a lot of military personnel will be present. We have intelligence that suggests that Brisbaine’s private compound will be understaffed that day. If there was ever a time to strike and end this joke of an operation, it’s then.” He says, putting the cigar out and stuffing the remainder back into his pocket.

“I recommend you get some sleep. We only have a few hours. If you’re with us, you’re with us. If you’re not, I understand.” Skarr says, moving farther into the back room as a young girl hands him a card and walks away. He looks at it.

“Free night in a scummy motel, huh? Gee, thanks.” He says, stuffing it in his cloak, putting his cowl back on and walking out.

Brick can’t help but think... soon, Brisbaine will answer for his crimes!

Last edited by Birdofterror on Tue Nov 12, 2013 1:33 am, edited 1 time in total.

The underbelly of this city is stirring. Something is happening, be it through fear or anticipation of an awaited event is irrelevant. Brick looks a clock on the wall. It’s almost seven. This room is actually very cozy. Judging from the exterior, this place should be a dump. He hops softly on the bed while he’s still sitting on it. He looks in the corner, noticing giant fresh scratches on the wooden floor. It seems like people recently renovated this place. Very recently.

Maybe they cleaned this room especially for Brick? The people gave him warm stares on his way out, like he was what they needed. He gets up and leaves the room; noticing people outside the bar across the slum perk up at the mere sight of him. One person speaks to a nearby watchman and he runs in side, no doubt to tell Skarr that Brick is awake.

Brick looks around. A TV amidst the garbage in this slum is tuned to a news channel. He manages to steal a glimpse of Bubbles. He smiles slightly. The press conference, talking about Heroesbane and the panic it caused is scheduled to take place in about an hour. He stretches, unusually calm, even knowing that very soon he will be amidst a group of insurgents whose sole purpose is to assassinate Brisbaine.

The mere prospect gives goose bumps. He knows Brisbaine needs to be brought to justice... but... to kill him...

She shakes his head of the uncertainty and remains fixated on the one thing he is certain of.

Brisbaine killed Jenny and Raven, amongst countless more innocents!

A man outside the bar beckons Brick in across the crowd of people in this run-down section of Citysville. He snakes his way through the mob, still in his brown cloak. He enters the bar, noticing it’s completely empty. He follows the people down into the false wall and into the war room.

A short man with a scar down his face grins once Brick enters the room.

“I trust you slept well?” – “Well enough. When is the attack?” Brick asks, before noticing a map sprawled over the dusty wooden table, illuminated by a faint hanging light. Skarr points at it.

“I’ll be the general of this operation. We have double agents working within and just outside Brisbaine’s private complex.” – “About that;” Brick interrupts, gaining a reaction from Skarr.

“I didn’t know Brisbaine had such a place.” – “It didn’t belong to him until recently. Shortly after Heroesbane went into effect, he forced his ownership on an abandoned government facility just to the east of Citysville. Our spies tell us that it’s a lab that experimented with Chemical X years ago.” Brick raises an eyebrow.

“Chemical X, huh?” Skarr nods. “I am well aware of its properties and past. That said; anything could happen... and it’s nearly impossible to plan for so we can’t take any risks.” Brick nods. “Agreed. What about personnel?” – “During Bubbles’ speech, more than half of the soldiers there will relocate to the town hall on order from the president, to give public apologies to the families that were destroyed during these events.”

“Wait, the soldiers will apologize? I know they did those horrible things and I’d the last person to play devil’s advocate... but weren’t they just following orders?” – “That’s the thing, Heroesbane wasn’t enacted by the Supreme Court... or any higher council for that matter. It was corrupted and forced through by Brisbane and was kept on the down-low until Bubbles blasted it open... though... by then it was too late. Most of the world’s heroes are already dead.” Skarr says, followed by a deep sigh.

“I see... so it was Brisbaine who did this alone? No backing from the government?” – “Correct, it was a purely military operation. The soldiers even have a choice in the matter. Those who participated are required to give a public apology or face dishonorable discharge.” – “So that’s why his building will be understaffed...” – “Exactly, and that’s when we strike!” Skarr says, pointing at the building.

“We don’t have much longer. The guards will be moving out in a matter of minutes. Most of the militia is already positioned outside the complex, out of sight. Now’s the time.” He says, folding the paper up and putting it into a bag, with many weapons present within it.

“What are we hoping to accomplish with this?” Brick asks. Skarr looks over. “Brisbaine may answer for this in a court or two... but there’s no way a man with connections so deep within this country as to assassinate the world’s heroes without being detected is going to truly answer for his crimes if left alone.” Skarr says with malice in his voice.

“The people here have spoken. If our government is willing to kill its own citizens, then we will not accept their justice! Our justice is our own! We will not settle until Brisbaine’s head is on a pike!” He yells, throwing his sack over his shoulder and running up the stairs along with everyone else. Brick follows.

They maintain a low enough profile while still moving quickly out of this underworld slum. Soon they split up and leave the city at the same time. Brick flies to a staging point next to Brisbaine’s complex.

He looks around. A lot of these soldiers are just kids, no older than twenty. His demeanor sours. To make the concept of killing Brisbaine worse, he’s also fighting alongside a bunch of kids who are certainly going to die.

He walks up to a random soldier and talks to him. “You there, how old are you?” – “U-Uh, s-seventeen Brick- UH, S-Sir!” – “Seventeen? God damn...!” He says, furious, ripping the gun out of his hand, forcing gasps from onlookers. “Get the hell out of here.” He barks. “Wh-What?” – “You heard me. No kids are going to be dying today.” He says with a scowl on his face, walking back with the gun in his hand.

“Wait!” The kid yells. Brick looks back to see a pained expression on his face. “I need to fight, sir... Heroesbane killed my family. I have nothing left! I can’t just go back; I don’t even have a home anymore! Here, I have brothers and a cause worth fighting for! If not for my family, then for all of their families!” He says, deeply passionate and pained. Brick turns around with an astonished look on his face.

“Please sir... I can’t abandon my men! We are all here of our free will!” Brick diverts his eyes and grits his teeth. He quickly snaps the gun back at the man who barely catches it. The soldiers are still looking back Brick.

“I’m... sorry. I didn’t realize that everyone here had reasons not much unlike mine for being here. Kids... men... so young. Just promise me you won’t die!” He says. The boy nods. “Okay, sir!” He runs back to a militia captain.

Skarr walks up behind Brick, having seen what just happened.

“I know what you were trying to do, Brick. Hopefully now you know where we all stand on this issue.” – “They’re just kids, general.” – “We were all kids once, willing to fight for what we thought was right.” Skarr says, looking over the flat staging ground, hundreds of soldiers waiting for his order.

“Not a single one of them was untouched by Heroesbane. They are all willing to kill and die for this.” Skarr says, turning around to Brick. “But what’s more is the fact that there are so many more still that are not with us. Countless more people, not limited to just our country who don’t have the ability to fight back, to get revenge on Brisbaine and let the world hear them.” Skarr walks into the camp after letting Brick off with one final line.

“If we let Brisbaine live, it will let the entire world know that killing its own citizens is okay! It’s time we finally take control of our own lives! We are not going to stand for this!” He roars, raising his fist into the air with the many soldiers following along. Brick nods.

It’s time to attack!

Last edited by Birdofterror on Sat Aug 31, 2013 5:27 am, edited 1 time in total.

"It's such a fine line between clever and stupid."

The Chronometal Wars, a fan-fiction taking place in the PPGD Universe. Catastrophe is the only certainty.

The soldiers run over the hill flanking Brisbaine’s complex, Skarr leading the pack!

“Forward my brothers! For Justice!” He roars out, catching sentries outside the building off guard! Before they even have a chance to react, a hailstorm of bullets rain down on them and put them out of commission! The Complex is several stories tall, though most of it is underground. The walls are pure chrome, looking like a place of the future!

Soldiers taking point run into the building as Brick flies above the building, spotting snipers and quickly blowing up their nests before any of the soldiers could be killed! Brick makes short work of any of the roof access points and fires red balls of energy to blow them out of commission. Soldiers still funnel into the build and Brick follows them in before an explosion is heard just outside! He runs back out to see...

It’s that soldier that was piloting Megas! The militia pause and take aim, but Brick yells-

“RUN! You can’t take him on! Get into the building or flee! I’ll take care of him!” He says, putting up his guard, making eye contact with the man... or at least he would if he wasn’t wearing a mask. The soldier cracks his knuckles as the militia behind Brick follows his orders, running for cover or spilling into the building.

“So... we meet again, pathetic “hero.” Have you come to deliver your head to me personally? That’s fine... though I much prefer a hunt, like with the Teen Titans.” – “What did you say?!” – “Only one of them got away... though I expect that she wouldn’t live long with that many bullets in her. It’s of no consequence to me.” He says dismissively, throwing his cloak off and showing off a slender black and white body-suit! His gloves are equipped and discharging energy!

“You’ll regret crossing me!” Brick yells, charging the man down! He prepares for a counter attack, but Brick quickly stops in mid-air and shoots at the ground, blowing him away without being able to block the attack! In mid air, the man scrambles to find his way downward, but Brick teleports behind him and slams his back with both of his hands, sending him careening down and causing a crater upon impact, blowing dust and dirt everywhere!

Brick isn’t going to fall for this crap anymore! He’s still just human; no amount of fancy technology will save him from Brick’s wrath!

“You’re... pretty good...!” The man says, rising from the dirt, completely surprised that Brick is actually putting up a real fight this time! Brick’s brow furrows and his pupils dilate! “I should have killed you when we met! Maybe then Raven would still be alive!” – “Oh, so she DID die? How reassuring. That’s nine for ten, I never leave a hero alive... you’re all that’s left.” – “I’ll savor your dying moments...!” Brick fumes, crashing down on the man, causing an even bigger crater to form!

The man is blown back from the sheer force of the attack and scrambles back near Brick’s Militia! Brick rises from the ashes to see the man blast at least twenty of them in half with a single wave of his hand!

“STOP IT!” Brick roar, launching a red energy attack at the soldier, only to have him reflect it back and barely dodge it! “It seems your weakness has always been others, Brick. Truly disappointing that you’ve fallen so far.” – “FUCK YOU!” He roars, charging him down and engaging him in a power struggle, hand to hand! Energy from Brick and the Man’s gloves explode out, suffocating the area in pure energy!

Brick and the soldier seem evenly matched, but Brick is giving it a little more! He throws the man over his shoulder and he collapses on his back, knocking the air out of him! Brick turns around and gets ready to stomp his throat with gruesome pleasure before a beam of energy blasts him away!

He slides across the ground, crashing into a tree and breaking it in half. He shakes his head and looks up. It’s...

Another man with a mask and a power suit?! This one wields a white suit with black colorations and a high tech gun instead of power gloves. Brick growls and rises to his feet, the energy attack doing little to stifle his energy!

Explosions go off everywhere, the soldiers within the complex causing massive damage! The battle must be going well; Brick just needs to keep these guys from getting in and ruining everything!

“Who are you?!” Brick yells out. The other man, also wearing a non-descript mask laughs a small bit. “Our individuality? It matters not. We’ve lost that long ago. We are simply tools. Experiments. Weapons to be used, the perfect killing machines. THAT is what we are!” – “Human... weapons? Human experiments?” Brick grins. “Fine with me. The way I see it, you’re less than human, so killing you should be no problem!” He yells, launching a ray of energy at the new man!

The former experiment catches the attack and reflects it back. It appears that this new guy can’t take a hit. He takes aim and launches a ray of white light at Brick, giving him barely enough time to dive out of the way as it blows the hill to bits! It does seem, however... that his toys are strong enough to put quite a dent in Brick! Brick snaps back to his feet and launches two separate attacks from his hands, one at both experiments! The black armored one merely reflects the attack while the white one jumps into the air, using a kind of jetpack!

Brick takes his opportunity to intercept him in mid-air! “What?!” He lets out, underestimating Brick’s speed. Brick takes him by the arm and throws him at the other experiment, knocking them both across the ground!

(================================================)

“Report!” Skarr yells at a man during a firefight.

“Sir, we’ve suffered heavy casualties, but the map says that there is only one room left! Behind these doors are the testing chambers! Brisbaine has to be there, this is their last line of defense!” Skarr nods.

“Good! Push on men! Justice will prevail!” He yells, taking a grenade out and blowing enemy soldiers out of cover! He and his men charge down the halls and come to the last door. It’s locked down tight, but a sapper plants a charge on the door and stands clear.

It blows the door open and the militia storm the area! Brisbaine is standing in the back of the room with his hands up in surrender! The room is filled with high tech devices and a pod in the middle of the room, big enough to seal a person in.

“Hold your fire!” Skarr yells to his men. “I’ll deal with him myself.” He snickers, taking his knife out and walking over to him. “Please... I can explain!” Brisbaine says pitifully.

“Is that all this is to you, Brisbaine? Killing you through a personal vendetta? No, this is about justice, about us rising against our oppressive government that thinks it can kill its own people! First you, then the whole country!” – “Please, this is so much more than you could possibly imagine! YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME!” Skarr holds the knife to Brisbaine’s neck as he swallows hard.

“I imagined you would be the kind of man to keep calm and collected... to go down with his ship. I guess I was wrong. You’re nothing but trash!” – “It’s... not... me you should be angry at!” Brisbaine squeaks, the knife grinding against his neck.

“Oh? And who is?” – “This was supposed to be an operation that took out those who would try to kill innocents! You have to believe me! It went all out of hand because of Cranston!” – “Cranston...?” Skarr asks, taking the knife away, willing to hear Brisbaine out.

“Who is this Cranston?” – “He used to work here, years ago... researching Chemical X and advanced uses for it! He came back after I initiated Heroesbane and forced me to escalate it or... he would unleash something even worse upon the world!” – “Worse than Heroesbane? I don’t buy it!” – “PLEASE! You have to believe me! If you don’t-“ He says, cutting himself off as a huge silhouette appears behind all of the soldiers.

His chest bears large mutated eyes as he stands well over ten feet tall. His hands are huge and his nails are as large as knives. He wears a large grey lab coat that covers only the back of his torso, wearing gray pants as well. Fire burst from his head as all of his eyes, those on his head and his chest glow red as he expels energy to blow the soldiers away!

“C-Cranston Utonium...!” Brisbane lets out timidly as Skarr turns around to view the monster of a man! “You...?! You’re behind all of this?!” – “I know of you, General Skarr... I’ve seen your exploits. Pity that you must die today.” – “Fat chance!” He yells, taking his assault rifle out and unleashing a barrage of bullets that Cranston stops in mid air with nothing but a hand gesture. Brisbaine runs away as Cranston reflects all of the bullets back at once, blowing Skarr away, blood trailing behind him.

He slumps to the ground, but musters enough strength to look up at the orange monster that is Cranston Utonium. “Damn... you... monster...!” He says as his vision blackens and he closes his eyes. Cranston turns over to Brisbaine. “The time has come... unleash the catalyst, or you too will share his fate.” Brisbaine very timidly walks over to the pod and pushes a series of buttons.

“Let us see if Shira is a success...” Cranston growls, rumbling the ground around him. “They will all see the true power, of X!”

"It's such a fine line between clever and stupid."

The Chronometal Wars, a fan-fiction taking place in the PPGD Universe. Catastrophe is the only certainty.

Brick makes short work of the experiments, bouncing the energy from the white one into the black one, causing massive damage and beating both of them in close quarters! Overpowering them all through sheer strength of will! They both rise to their feet and flank Brick, but he’s had enough of these pathetic failures!

“HRAH!” He yells out, exerting pure energy, exploding outward and blowing fragments of their armor off and snapping trees in half as well as ripping the metallic coating of the complex off with a single roar! The two experiments hardly have enough energy to rise back to their feet. Brick pants, but realizes just how much of an advantage he has right now. He puts his hands up and readies to end their pathetic lives.

But... something feels different. Both of the experiments freeze in place. Saying and doing nothing. “Hey! Giving up? Fine by me!” Brick yells, charging them down as a huge white explosion engulfs the battlefield and blows the entire ground upward like a volcano, knocking Brick into the building and hitting it so hard that he coughs up blood and nearly passes out on the spot! He falls to his knees and coughs, looking up.

The dust is clearing to show a being amidst the smoke. Long hair and glowing white eyes. The two experiments walk over under the being and raise their hands up.

“Strength of body...” – “Strength of will...” They both say individually as white energy leaves their bodies and courses into this new being. All of Brick’s energy was knocked out in a single blow, so all he can do is watch...!

“Shining Rays of Amaterasu-“ – “We give our lives willingly!” They yell out as a huge surge of white lightning explodes out of them and engulfs the being! Their bodies’ slump lifelessly to the ground as the being’s energy escalates even further beyond what it took to knock Brick out of commission! The energy is so overpowering that even the dust is blown away. Brick can now see the being in full view!

Long white hair with very brightly lit white eyes that seem filled with pure rage! The being is female and their teeth are clenched with seemingly primal ambition! Brick has never seen someone with these major characteristics before... but there’s no mistaking her clothing...!

“STARFIRE?!” Brick yells out, barely able to rise to his feet, clenching his arm out of pain. She is wearing two piece clothing, purple with silver linings. There’s no mistaking the body and the clothing... but... the eyes and the hair? It simply “can’t” be Starfire!

A being rises from the hole in the ground, riding a kind of floating disk. The man is huge and orange, definitely not human! “Who...?” Brick tries to say as the man raises his hand. “Now is not the time to talk, Brick of the Rowdyroughs. Now is the time to listen.” He says as he looks up at the enraged being above him.

“This is the fruit of my experiments here so long ago... I never had authorization or proper testing conditions until now. Now... I must say... this is yielding some fantastic data.” He looks back down at the broken Brick and chuckles, his arms crossed.

“She is not the one I hoped to create with the Shining Rays of Amaterasu... but if nothing else, she will give me the data I need to bring her back...! Her life is of no more meaning to me than a simple test... so do me one last favor, Brick. Die for her. Let me test her capabilities.” He says, his disk flying off and quickly leaving sight. The girl resembling Starfire roars with primal fury as the land around them catches on fire and clouds swirl around them!

The fire is white and emanates an otherworldly feel! What... is all of this...?!

“BRICK!” A voice Brick truly did NOT expect to hear lets out from the side of the building. He looks back. “B-Brisbaine...?! What the hell are you doing here?! If I make it out of here alive-“ – “Brick, please, you have to listen! You have to run or she will kill you along with the entire planet!” – “What? Why are you trying to help me?!” – “I am not your enemy, Brick!” – “Yes you-“ He tries to say as Starfire launches a pure white laser Brick barely has time to dodge out of the way of that burns through the ground and explodes within the crust of the Earth, causing a small earthquake!

“Holy shit...! What is that power?!” – “Brick... she’s not going to stop until she kills you! You have to run, or we will all be doomed!” Brick growls, not wanting to take Brisbaine’s advice, but he doesn’t seem to have much of a choice. This woman in front of him is emanating the strongest aura he’s felt in his entire life...! A one on one conflict would mean certain death!

He flies off to have her materialize directly in front of her with a cruel smile crossing her face, rage burning in her white eyes. She smacks Brick hard enough to cause a sonic boom and cause him to crash back into the courtyard surrounding the complex surrounded by white fire! That single hit must have broken several ribs... Brick doesn’t think he can get back up...

This can’t be it... there’s still so much more to do...! Brick tries to get back to his feet, but can’t find the strength. Every muscle in his body is crying out in defeat... he... he can’t do this alone...

“Help...” He mutters on the ground. Brisbaine looks around, hysterical. He knows that Brick needs help but he also knows that Starfire is unstoppable! There is nothing he can do!

Out of nowhere, a lone soldier runs in front of Brick’s limp body and looks up at Starfire and aims his gun at her, causing her to cock her head. Almost like a dog, wondering what this person is doing. Not even a million of this kid can stop her and she knows this. So why is he standing there? Does he not value his life?

Brick looks up to see who it is. It’s... that kid he tried to take the gun from earlier...! “Kid... g-get out of here... save yourself! You will gain nothing from... dying here...!” – “No, sir! I can’t let you go like this! We all have to work together to make it out!” – “You’re... so stupid... she’s going to kill us both if you stay!” – “A soldier never abandons his superior officer!

Starfire straightens her head and seems to have had enough of this. She falls to the ground and lands on her feet and begins to walk slowly over to the kid who fires bullets off at her! She doesn’t even bother to deflect them; they all just flatten and explode upon her skin, doing absolutely no damage! Brisbaine and Brick look on in horror as this kid stands and fights!

“I... need power... this isn’t right...!” Brick cries to himself. “This cannot be my destiny! Too many people have died...!” He yells out! He slowly rises to his knees, using his arms as leverage! The kid reloads and unleashes more bullets at Starfire, but she merely grins and walks over to him! She’s almost close enough to kill him with a simple hand movement!

Starfire begins to strike down on the boy with the power of a dying sun, but Brick explodes in front of him and holds her attack off with one hand. He looks up, blood streaming down his face and determination in his eyes! Starfire almost looks like she has fear in her eyes as he punches her back so strongly that it causes a sonic boom! Brick looks back with a facial expression so serious it commands obedience.

“Now you have to go. Let me handle her. I’ll be okay!” – “O-Okay sir- B-Brick!” The kid runs off, avoiding the white fire as Starfire rises from the rubble and rubs the blood off of her face.

She smiles, but Brick isn’t amused. His arms flex at both sides, green and red energy swirling around him!

“I... know this energy...!” He says to himself as a phantom appears next to him. Even Brisbaine can see it and his eyes go wide!

“BUTCH?!” Butch nods to Brick and looks over to Starfire. Brick doesn’t understand, yet at the same time this makes more sense than he could imagine. “Thank you, brother...” He says with tears in his eyes as his energy reaches a new-found level!

His phantom combines with Brick and he blasts off to Starfire! She was anticipating his movements and fires off into the sky, quickly reaching space! Brick follows her and quickly cuts her off outside of the atmosphere in the cold nothingness of space! He launches a beam of red and green energy that illuminates the sky so brightly that even the people of Earth can’t look at it without squinting!

(===)

One girl looks up from next to the tomb of the Chronometal Wars. “Wait... I know that energy...! Him, what do you make of this?” – “I... I don’t know...! That’s Butch’s energy, but he’s dead!” – “You’re the one with his soul, right? You should know this stuff!” Buttercup says, looking up at the bright energy.

But... she feels weird... like this is very important. Like... she’s scared. There’s something going on that she knows endangers the world...! She puts her hands together and looks up at the now fading light.

“Whoever you are... Butch... Brick... anyone... good luck...!”

(===)

Starfire unleashes a barrage of light-speed attacks that Brick, even with his godly powers can barely dodge! He counters her attack with a decisive blow to the chest, but it does little more than knocking the wind out of her!

“Starfire...! Come back to reality! We don’t have to kill each other!” Brick yells at the temporarily incapacitated Starfire. She looks up with pain across her face. “I... can’t... control it...!” She says much to Brick’s surprise, before he can respond she launches a white beam that he has no choice but to counter with his own!

They lock into a beam struggle the likes of which the people of Earth have never seen! They both put their entire beings into this attack, blowing even the rules of physics to pieces as singularities are born and killed within the span of a few short seconds! Brick condenses his beam to pierce hers and blow her onto the moon!

He crashes down on her and pins her to the ground! “STARFIRE! Are you in there?!” He yells! “IT HURTS SO MUCH! PLEASE, JUST KILL ME!” She says with a painful expression that betrays her bodily actions, kicking him across the heavens and bolting back at him! He stops himself in mid-air and utilizes this newfound power to engage her once again in hand to hand combat!

They strike each other with the strength of meteors, blowing lunar dust away in a storm and causing the crust to crack! They lock each other into a power struggle and Brick looks into Starfire’s eyes. She’s... crying, but the bottom half of her face is completely demented, teeth spiky and drooling over the concept of murder!

It’s as if there’s something inside of her giving her massive power, but killing her consciousness! “Star... Fire...!” He grunts, barely able to talk while exerting enough power to keep her at bay. “Do you... really... want me to... kill you...?!” – “Yes...! Please...! I can’t stand this...!” She mutters without using her mouth, almost as if by telepathy.

Brick can see the pain she is in and nods. This is the real Starfire talking! “I’ll put you out of this hell!” He roars, summoning even more power from deep within himself! His body glows a bright green, illuminating the Moon and the space around them as his energy reaches critical levels! He manages to bolt both himself and Starfire away from the moon as his power begins to cap!

Right before he re-enters Earth’s atmosphere, he lets all of the energy out at once and causes what looks like a gigantic nuclear explosion to resonate throughout the planet’s surface! Everyone from this side of the planet can see it and look on in fear and awe!

But it’s not over yet! Still with Starfire in his arms and still falling, Brick needs to survive this fall with no energy. He doesn’t think it can be done... but he’s okay with this. He is halfway down, but so out of energy he knows he won’t be able to survive the impact. Starfire is unconscious in his arms. He closes his eyes as he reaches the last few thousand feet at terminal velocity!

But a familiar energy appears around him. He opens his eyes and the last person he expects to see is following him down, getting ready help break his fall.

“Buttercup...?!” – “Hold on!” She says, grappling on and narrowly avoiding a direct hit with the Earth!

Brick is so out of power he feels like standing would be enough to blow his muscles to pieces, but he has to get up. Luckily, Buttercup actually gives him a hand and throws his arm over her shoulder as he stands up. Brisbaine walks over and they all look down at the body of Starfire. Brick looks over to Brisbaine with conflicting emotions crossing his face.

“What... happened? To her? To this world...? What have you done, Brisbaine...?” He asks weakly, still standing with the help of Buttercup. “I’m... not blameless in what happened... and I want nothing more than for this to be over... but you’re not done yet, Brick.” – “What...?” – “She’s still alive. It will take the true destruction of one’s sense of self to truly calm the Shira.”

As soon as Brisbaine says that word, Brick’s eyes go wide! “What... was that word you used?” – “Shira. It’s the shortened version of “Shining Rays of Amaterasu,” the project Cranston worked on before he left and... what you see left of this poor girl.” – “Shira...” Brick says to himself deeply. “So it wasn’t a dream...” – “What?” – “Nothing...” He says softly.

“Regardless. Shira is the process of using a highly experimental kind of Chemical X in ways that leave the recipient broken, both in body and spirit. It required sacrifices from those with body and will to achieve true power, but even then... the results were too unstable- not to mention unethical. The project was cancelled and Cranston went missing. To my knowledge, Shira is unstoppable... unless the source of their power, the spirit is destroyed or altered... but... I don’t know how to do that.” He shakes his head, worried.

“If we do nothing... Starfire will reach maximum power in a matter of hours once again.” – “That’s bullshit!” Buttercup yells out! “There has to be something we can do!” – “Like what?! We have nothing that can calm her emotions! Nothing that can ease her spirit! We would need an exorcism!” – “Don’t be stupid!” Brisbaine and Buttercup snap at each other before Brick jostles himself free of Buttercup.

“Brick...?” She says as he weakly walks over to her and falls to his knees next to her. He reaches into his pocket and takes a small red jewel out of it.

“Anger... what good does it do? Control... emotional control... spiritual control.” He says to himself putting it on her head. They all gather around him, waiting for something to happen. To their amazement, the jewel shines and Starfire’s hair slowly fades from white to red! She opens her eyes very weakly as her body begins to bleed!

Cuts open up as her body is torn to pieces! “STARFIRE!” Brick yells out, grabbing her by the hand. She shakes her head. Her eyes are green again...!

“No... this... is okay.” She says weakly, her body showing more signs of horrible trauma! The separation of Shira is destroying her! “No! I won’t let you die! I won’t let anyone else die!” He yells out with his eyes clenched shut! She raises her hand and brushes his face, causing his eyes to snap open.

“Shhh... you... calmed my soul. I was on... fire... I felt like I was dying again and again, losing myself to this kind of... white pit of nothingness. It’s better to die than to live like that... thank you... so much...” She says, her arm losing power and going limp.

Buttercup covers her mouth and Brisbaine turns around with a pained expression on his face. Brick merely sits there looking at her now dead body. “God damn it... not again...!” He seethes to himself, his tears falling onto Starfire. He wipes his eyes and looks up. It’s getting dark...

It’s all over. Heroesbane’s culmination was nothing more than the testing grounds for the Shira project. The Panic brought a suitable test subject right to Cranston’s doorstep- Starfire. The test results were... successful. The being was the strongest singular being anyone has ever witnessed. Who was this Cranston? What is this Shira supposed to even be? Why did this have to happen?

And with that... not only does the Panic draw to a close forever, so does Brick's internal fight to find out what was worth living for. Everyone who witnessed this even fear it as an omen, a hint of darker things to come. Hopefully... they are wrong.

"It's such a fine line between clever and stupid."

The Chronometal Wars, a fan-fiction taking place in the PPGD Universe. Catastrophe is the only certainty.

The tomb of the Chronometal Wars is kind of cramped. It was initially made to be both a reminder of what transpired, and to move the massive amount of bodies here. It was built in the mountains surrounding Megaville, to the peoples’ surprise, the Knights base was actually right under it. Kind of fitting, in hindsight.

Only Buttercup is here. Him and Brick went off to talk about something... and Buttercup has been looking for an excuse to come in here for a while now. She walks out of this room and into another. A special room. The wall in this room is still broken from when Magnificence bombarded the Earth. There is only one tomb here. Only one body.

“Hey... Blossom.” She says, walking into the room. She smiles faintly, trying to fight back the urge to simply leave. “I know I’m late... I just... haven’t been wanting to come in here...” She sits down on a chair in the room. The walls and floor are made of stone, lights embedded in the wall giving off just enough light to make things out. She looks up at the tomb.

“Dexter’s doing well. I heard he and Lynn were going to get married this month! Did not see that one coming...” She chuckles to herself, forcing small talk to herself in this room.

“You won’t guess who I ended up saving today. Brick. That’s right, crazy huh? I thought so... haha...” She frowns. “It was weird. At first I thought it was Butch... but when I got there he was alone. Just Brick. Apparently he got in a really big fight and... Believe it or not; he may have saved the world.”

She looks around, uncomfortable...

“I miss you...” She says with her head slumped down.

(================================================)

“So you’re saying you don’t know how this happened?” – “That’s right... the spirits of the dead all come to me and what happens to them is also decided by me. How Butch managed to grant you his power is beyond my current knowledge. But... this came at a cost.” – “A... cost?”

Him takes a small crystal out from behind his back and gives it to Brick. He weakly reaches for it, his body still in shambles from the recent fight. “What... is this?” – “The lives given to me form crystalline formations. Butch’s... has gone hoarse. The crystal is completely empty.” Brick stares at the foggy colorless crystal in his hand.

“He gave his entire spirit to save you.” Brick tightly grips the crystal, clearly in pain, but smiling. “He truly was a hero... even to the very end.” – “But... I’m curious... how did you channel his spirit?” – “What do you mean?” – “As I said before, the spirit world is my domain. Nothing happens without my say-so. Yet, you managed to channel his spirit energy expertly.” – “I don’t know... it just happened.” Him looks away. “That’s what I thought.”

“Why? Is it that important?” Brick asks, still looking at the blank crystal in his hand. It’s roughly twice the width of a pencil and just as long. “The only thing I can think of is that you came into contact with the spirit world, to become a medium.” – “Spirit world...? I don’t remember ever doing... wait...” Brick trails off catching Him’s attention.

“I met with Boomer in the future...” – “What...?! Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?!” – “I wasn’t sure if it was even real until Brisbane brought up Shira.” – “Well... this is very interesting, but it was not contact with the spirit world.” – “I was getting to that... you said you didn’t get Boomer’s essence when he died, right? That he is still alive?” – “Yes...?” Brick looks up at the night sky, to the moon.

“I think Boomer was affected by Shira as well... I think he ‘was’ dead, but was brought back to life the same way Starfire was...” – “I... see. That... could explain your recent energies with the spirit world.” Brick nods. “That’s what I’m thinking now.” He winces, an onset of pain coursing back into him. “I... have to go... back to the hospital.” Brick says heavily, getting up from the grass, barely able to stand. Him gives him a hand and helps fly him over to the Hospital in Citysville.

“Thanks...”

(================================================)

“Yes... PERFECT!” Cranston yells, now in his dark base.

A small dog looking thing peeks from around the corner. “She gave me the perfect data... the data to recreate Shira- PERFECTLY! Yet, it will take time... yes... it will take time. Maintaining life is hard enough, giving it to the Shira is even harder... maintaining their consciousness within that state is something I haven’t even tried before.” He says to himself, flipping switches and levers like a mad scientist.

He walks over to an over-watching pad and looks down at the two beings below... one male, one female. Both barely able to be considered alive.

“One being, a body without a consciousness- another being, a consciousness without a body; both lying before me. Both the necessary sacrifices for the ultimate test, the ultimate extension of Shira!” The little dog thing walks up behind him and grabs his attention.

“But what about Bell?” – “Patience little one... she is too precious to be involved with anything but the most perfect of Shira. She will be back...” He says, looking back at the two beings on the tables. “She will be back...”

Both of the bodies are kept barely alive with life support, both mentally linked into some kind of... existence simulator.

He spends his time just sitting on an open meadow. He used to know his name; he used to know a lot of things. He’s started forgetting so much that he’s carved things into a nearby tree.

‘My name is Boomer. I have two brothers. Their names are Brick and Butch. I don’t know how I got here, but I’ve been here for what feels like hundreds of years.’ At this point, the boy doesn’t even know who carved this into the tree anymore.

For all he knows, some weird kid named Boomer was making a journal on this wood. His life is one of simple pleasures now, not remembering who he is or why he’s here. He eats, sleeps, relaxes and sleeps some more. Though, there is this one girl here who wanders around.

She used to be good company for the first couple hundred years, but unlike him she seems to actually be remembering as he forgets. Doesn’t worry him though, nothing does anymore.

Speak of the devil...

“Calm down... you’ll tire yourself out worrying, come lay down with me.” He says lying down in the sunlit meadow.

“Shut up Boomer, I’m trying to think... so... then... no... I...” – “Your constant muttering is interrupting my relaxation. Buzz off somewhere.” – “HOW CAN YOU REMAIN SO CALM?! There is a world outside this place! How do we get out?!” – “You’re worrying about nothing. As far back as I can remember I’ve been here, relaxing. And this guy named Boomer kept carving on that tree for years, but he stopped.” – “YOU’RE Boomer!” – “You keep saying that, but I can’t remember a bit of it.” He says, picking at his teeth, truly caring nothing for this.

All he cares about are the fluffy clouds in the sky. The only things here that make sense are the things that constantly move in a predictable motion. This girl is proving to be far less than predictable. He hasn’t even bothered to ask her for her name, he knows he’ll just forget it.

This situation is odd like that.

The girl sighs and actually sits near Boomer. He looks over at the girl.

She has brown hair and purple eyes. She wears a purple dress while he himself wears a blue suit. She also has a red bow on the front of her shirt, covering her chest and parts of her neck. She looks very frail and her skin is scarred all around.

“You say you’re remembering stuff, right?” – “Yeah...?” – “Do you remember how you got those scars?” She looks at her arms and legs and even touches her face, her fingers bumping over the scars. “Yeah. I remember a lot, now.” – “Really? Do you remember your name yet?” She smiles and lies back in the grass with this strange boy. She looks into the clouds.

“Bunny.” – “Bunny, huh? That’s a funny name. Almost as funny as Boomer. Who picks these stupid names?” She looks over at him as he looks into the clouds. “Our creators.” – “Creators? Do you remember our creators?” – “I remember mine... but not yours, I’m sorry.” – “Bah, that’s okay. I would just forget it anyway.” He says, causing her to look back into the clouds.

“Do you think we’ll ever get out?” – “Get out to where? This place is paradise. Why, is the place out there better than in here?” – “I... don’t know if it’s ‘better,’ but it’s not a cage.” – “Isn’t existence just one cage after another? Just... a bigger one or a smaller one?” Boomer looks over to her with a serious expression on his face.

“What is the meaning of life? Why do you want out?” – “Well... like I said, I know this place isn’t real- that it’s a cage.” – “So forget, like me! It makes being here so much better, trust me.” He says, standing up and walking over to the lake to get a drink. She sits up and looks at him as he goes to drink.

She looks down at her hands. “Maybe... he’s right. Maybe I should just try to enjoy my time here for a while. It could be... years before something comes along and lets us leave. Might as well make the most of it.”

It all felt like one gigantic flash of action and death... but he’s finally back. The Panic, Heroesbane only lasted a few short days, yet almost all of the world’s heroes were killed. To make matters worse, it was all a plot to simply give Cranston a compatible hero to test his Shira on. All of this death, all of this suffering...

All for such a simple test. If Brisbaine was telling the truth, then even as a test, Shira Starfire could have actually destroyed the world... were it not for Butch’s ultimate sacrifice, it could have happened. Brick sighs and lies down to get more comfortable. His bones are still screaming out in pain, but with all these casts it doesn’t really hurt as much anymore.

Mekel walks back into the room, but to Brick’s surprise; he’s not dressed as a doctor. He’s wearing a suit not much unlike Brick’s own military suit. Accented with dark blue and black colorations. He looks a lot more serious today than when he was here last.

“Mekel?” – “Oh, Brick. You’re awake. I thought the anesthetic would keep you down for hours.” – “It’s hard to sleep when all you can see when you close your eyes are enemies barreling down on you...” Brick states, looking Mekel up and down once more.

“Your clothing... it’s military, isn’t it?” – “Yes. I’ve rejoined after everything that happened.” Brick sits back up. “You... were a member of the Military?” – “Yes... in fact I even worked close with Brisbaine. I left a long time ago and swore never to come back... but after everything that went down, I know I’m needed now more than ever. Not just as a doctor... but as a spiritual warrior.” Brick smiles. “I can respect that... but, it doesn’t really answer why you’re here.”

Mekel smiles as a new person enters the room. It’s Dexter, to Brick’s surprise.

“Oh... Dexter...” Brick states. “Brick.” Dexter says just as flatly. Dexter walks into the back of the room to the curtain and flips it open. Olga is there, as always, still with such a far away look in her eye.

“Did you do what I told you to?” Dexter asks, looking over to the Militarized Mekel. “Yes, but unfortunately, I think this is all I can do for her. I’m moving out very soon. This is my last action as a freelance doctor.” – “I understand.“ Dexter says, looking behind Olga to her back.

To Brick’s surprise as he eavesdrops, there are several mechanical parts imbedded in her back with a large socket going right into her spine. Dexter takes a cylinder out and shows it to Mekel.

“Keep in mind... this is NOT a soul. This is merely... a temporary bonding agent to ‘emulate’ the soul that was present in her before. I can replicate more of these in my lab as the years go by, but as far as I can see, without someone truly sacrificing their own souls... she will never truly recover.” Mekel nods, sadly. “Thank you, Dexter...” He says as Dexter slips the cylinder into Olga’s spine, hearing it click into place and close up.

Olga’s face doesn’t change. “It could take... years for it to take any real effect. But the isolated tests in my lab that I conducted during my free time show very high chance of success.” Dexter says, distracted. He looks at Olga, who doesn’t look back. “See you... tomorrow.” He says, walking out of the room. Mekel stays with Olga, checking her pulse and pupils to make sure everything is still normal.

Dexter leaves the room, leaving Mekel and Brick.

“Everything looks fine.” Mekel says, moving the curtain back over her. “So... you’re leaving?” – “Unfortunately, yes. Another doctor will be with you soon to see how you’re feeling.” He says, nearing the door outward, but turning his head back around to look at Brick once more.

“Good bye, Brick.” He says, closing the door. Brick sighs and settles back in; trying to get some more sleep.

(================================================)

“I don’t need to stay in... I just need a checkup...” She insists, but is being pushed along by a lady doctor. “No buts, Bubbles. You got to get into a bed and we will look at you shortly. There’s a bed in this room, we’re a little packed at the moment so I hope you don’t mind sharing a room.” – “Not at all...” Bubbles states, walking into the door. She notices someone sleeping in a bed, and another still guised in a curtain.

She looks at the nearby empty bed as the lady doctor comes back in. “Get into your underwear and we’ll begin.” – “I keep telling you, I don’t really need to be here... can’t you just LOOK at it?” – “Look, the longer you complain, the longer you’re going to be here.” Bubbles groans and takes her clothes off and sits on the bed. The doctor nears her and looks at her arm socket with various doctor’s tools.

“Just as I thought. You were right to come here.” She says, reaching for something in her bag. “Is it infected?” – “It’s a minor infection, yes. Your friend Dexter was able to cauterize it well enough, but without any real medical attention, it was only a matter of time.” She says, writing something onto a piece of paper. “I’m going to write you a prescription for some antibiotics.” – “Great, cool. Can I go now?” She says in a rush. “No, there’s a good deal of dead tissue here that will need some attention in a few minutes.” – “Minutes? Why not now?” – “All of the operating rooms are occupied. One should be cleared shortly. Get comfortable, I’ll be back soon.” She says, leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Bubbles sighs and lays back onto the bed, lost in thought. The person in the bed yawns and wakes up, smacking his lips and looking up to see who the new person it.

The man raises his eyebrow.

“Bubbles...?” – “Brick? What are you... oh, wait... haha.” Bubbles says to herself before rolling her eyes. “What?” – “Nothing, it’s just that Dexter recommended this place to me. Figures.” – “Dexter, huh? How is he doing, by the way?” – “Wasn’t he just here?” – “Yeah... but he was very distant. Didn’t say more than a single word to me.” Bubbles looks out the window.

“Yeah... we’re all taking Blossom’s death kind of hard.” Brick’s eyes go wide. “Oh... right... Blossom’s... dead...” Bubbles nods. Brick looks back at his lap. Bubbles looks over and looks Brick up and down. He’s not wearing a shirt and is sitting in his bed with a pained expression on his face. His body is so bruised and battered...

“Buttercup told me something before I came here. Something about you.” – “Oh yeah? Anything good?” Brick chuckles. “Yes, actually... she told me that you had gone hero, possibly even saved the world.” – “I wouldn’t go that far, if I failed, you guys definitely would have been able to clean it up.” Bubbles giggles a small bit and sits up not much unlike Brick is right now, still in her underwear.

“Maybe... but I was doing something at the time.” – “The press conference?” Bubbles nods. “Yes. It went well, until it was canceled near the end when a giant flash erupted in the sky. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I was so sure you were...” She says, diverting her eyes, but Brick follows up- “Dead. Yeah, I get that a lot. Truth is, I was the only one of my brothers who survived. I think Boomer’s still alive somewhere... but I’m not sure.” – “I’m... sorry to hear that.” Bubbles says.

The doctor re-enters the room. “Bubbles, your room is ready.” – “Actually, can you give us a minute?” The doctor raises her eyebrow. “Sure... It will be ready again in about half an hour.” She says, closing the door.

“I heard about what happened with Starfire.” She says. After a short pause, Brick nods. “Yeah... she was another person who died in my arms.” He says, raising his hands up and looking at them. Bubbles notices he has a robot hand, and remembers that Blossom actually cut it off during the Second War.

Why did this all have to happen...?

Brick closes his hands and his eyes. “I like to think that my actions had worth, that all that I did these past few days had meaning... but I can’t. When I wanted to save the people, I let them die... all of them.” He says, dropping his hands and sighing.

Bubbles continues to look at him as he hangs his head dejectedly.

“Do you have anywhere to go?” She asks, causing him to look up. “Huh? What do you mean?” – “After you get out of this hospital... do you have a place to, you know... live?” He shakes his head. “No, I don’t. I was thinking of staying here for a while. A couple days of inaction would make me feel wonders better... but after that, I don’t know...” He says. Bubbles however, quickly picks the topic back up.

“You can stay at my place.” She says, almost blushing, but not diverting her eyes. “Your... place?” She nods. “Are you sure? I mean... that would be weird. We were enemies not too long ago.” – “You’re not my enemy anymore, Brick. I know that. You’re a person who fought to save many people during all of this. Just like... Blossom did. Yes, I’m sure, Brick.” Brick smiles, but diverts his eyes, embarrassed.

“Th-Thanks... I would like that, Bubbles.” – “Oh, I almost forgot.” Bubbles says, getting up to look in her clothes pocket. She takes out a note. “Dexter told me if I saw anyone I knew here, to give them this. He was obviously just being cryptic and mentioning you. Here.” She says, walking over and handing Brick the note. He reads it.

-----

To Brick.If you are going to stay in the hero business, I salute you. I however, am leaving it along with my fiancée. Mekel can no longer take care of and hide Olga, so I need to ask you to do it. I’m sorry to ask you such a burden, but if I were to keep her, the hero’s call may creep into my household... and I can’t have that anymore. The time you saw me last will likely be the last time for about a year... should you accept.

I will show up yearly to provide her a new soul-emulator, but that’s really all I can do. I know this is a lot to ask, but I promised an old friend I wouldn’t let any harm come to her... and I’m afraid I can no longer protect her anymore. I’m asking you as a friend, can you please do this?

Dexter.

-----

Brick smiles. “Since when were we ‘friends’ Dexter? Whatever.” He says, crumpling the note. “What did it say?” Bubbles asks, now sitting back in her bed.

“You invited me to your house... right? Any chance you could make room for two?” – “Who?” Brick looks over to the curtained bed. He stands up, still in a small amount of pain and walks over, flipping it open. Bubbles instantly recognizes who it is and nods.

“I see...” She says. “Yes, she can come, too. It’s going to be lonely at my house without that many people, anyway.” – “Well she doesn’t make great conversation.” Brick says, putting his hand on her shoulder.

To his surprise, Olga actually looks over at him and into his eyes. “Brick...?” She says very faintly. Brick’s eyes go wide. Did... Did Olga just talk?!

And with that the Mini Stories, the Red Story draws to a close. Loose ends leading up to the Black War tied up. Several things are put into place, to come back into focus later. But for now, we rest. I hope you enjoyed up until now.

Last edited by Birdofterror on Sat Sep 20, 2014 1:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Taking place after the Second War Renaissance, which was the culmination of the Second War after Dexter fixed Blossom's soul and Him sent her back in time to gather all of the heroes; including Barasia, these mini stories follow the rise of a mostly forgotten hero in the Chronometal Wars, Brick.

The story also fills in holes between The Second War and The Panic, bits of information that serve to explain what were once gaps in the story.

The story at hand is in the red, the original story and everything told within is in the orange, The Panic is in the pink and the Barasian War, also a part of the second story is in the Purple.

The First War AND the Second War, which were right before this is in the Yellow. Stories as of yet untold are in White. (PPGD not included, obviously.)

Mekel the Healer (Part 1)- Brick awakens in his bed to realize that he was not killed by Blossom, though his brothers were. Brisbaine explains to Brick several things before leaving, allowing Brick to meet with the esteemed Super-Hero Doctor: Mekel. Dexter makes his way into Brick's room in the hospital and both he and Brick view Olga, who is now spiritually broken due to sacrificing almost all of her soul during the Second War. Brick helps hide Olga from the Military and also finds a note left by Brisbaine called: Heroesbane. The orders passed down that eventually cause The Panic.

Blossom's Burden- Blossom joins Dexter for a kind of friends' therapy. Blossom still feels incredibly guilty for her actions involving the Rowdyrough boys and can't find the strength to forgive herself. Dexter gives Blossom a card, leading to the room where he met Brick. He initially wanted her to see that he was merely alive, not knowing the actions Brick himself set into motion once Blossom arrived. Blossom eavesdrops on Brick and Him's conversation, learning right away that Brick is still alive, lifting a massive burden from her soul. She eventually learns that Boomer too may be alive, but also that Butch had turned over a new leaf and Blossom feels more guilty than ever for killing him. Brick leaves and Him engages Blossom in a heated debate over what it means to be a hero, leaving Blossom with the painful answer she needed to hear.

Robots and Mothers- This two parter starts off with Dexter and Barasia sitting outside of her new house; courtesy of Dexter. It is explained within that Dexter helped Barasia both adopt Ruby and get this house, as well as provide the funding to live in the house. Dexter passes along well needed advice before moving to Rio, the beginning of the story "The Panic." Meanwhile, Brick receives a call from Brisbaine telling him to locate Professor Wakeman to get a new hand to replace the hand he lost during the Second War. After a little sleuthing, Brick finds her in a shanty town on the border of Nevada. He enters the building she's in and talks with both her and XJ-9; her mechanical daughter before explosions and gunshots are heard above, causing Jenny and Wakeman to flee.

- Later, Brick follows her, realizing that not even he is safe back in the shanty town only to be cut off by a giant military brigade! Brick attacks the military, giving Jenny and Wakeman time to flee. Jenny has a change of heart and returns to help Brick as he engages the military, only to have them both come face to face with the true leader of the attack; an unidentified masked soldier piloting the Megas Robot! The battle is long and horrible, all of the heroes being beaten within inches of their lives before Jenny sacrifices herself to completely destroy Megas. Brick and Wakeman lament over the loss of Jenny, but Wakeman provides Brick with a mechanical hand as a last testament to Jenny's memory. She sacrificed herself to save Brick, Wakeman must do her part for Brick as well. Brick flies off the Townsville in a hope to find answers to this chaos.

Paradise Lost- Another two parter, starting with Brick entering Townsville after lamenting the loss of Jenny one last time. He eventually finds his way to the ruins of the Observatory; Mojo's old base. While within it, the world around him instantly changes. Looking around, Townsville appears to be completely destroyed and time is stopped! A strange man nears Brick and explains what is going on. He points to the moon, drawing Brick's attention to it. The moon has a giant base on it, one that certainly would have taken years to complete! Upon explaining that this horrible world Brick is within is actually a doomed future where Brick failed to be the hero he needed to be, the man shows a previously unknown Chronometal; D-2! He effortlessly repairs it and breaks it into energy before engaging Brick in battle, calling him; Brother!

- The battle is completely one-sided, Brick completely unable to land even a single hit. Brick attempts to escape, falling down the mountain and breaking several of his bones before being instantly cut off by the man who called him Brother. Upon further questioning, Brick identifies the impossibly strong man in black as Boomer, his brother he only recently learned from him that was alive! The battle ends quickly, Boomer's hand around Brick's throat, preaching down to him, calling him weak and stating this world's state is due to Brick's complete failure as a hero and his constant rivalries with three people: Blossom, Bubbles, and Bell. Brick passes out, only to wake up back at Mojo's ruin, completely invigorated after having dreamed about a young looking girl with brown hair. Brick flies aimlessly off into the night before noticing someone suffering in a nearby meadow. The person is identified as Raven of the Teen Titans, but she soon dies in his arms after passing along a red crystal. Brick buries her in that very meadow and swears revenge upon Brisbaine.

Underworld- Taking place several days after the events of the last chapter, Brick finds himself maneuvering through a scummy criminal underworld with the hopes of locating a resistance group to fight against Brisbaine. His efforts pay off and he is sent to the back of a rather unassuming bar to find the former General Skarr as the leader behind the resistance movement. Exchanging smalltalk and gathering information about this event most people have come to calling "The Panic" and not Heroesbane, Brick eventually realizes that the Powerpuff Girls are still alive. Or Bubbles and Buttercup are at least. Skarr gives Brick a role to play in a very quickly approaching attack on Brisbaine's complex, Brick sleeps the rest of the night off.

Out in the Open- Waking up in the room he slept in that night, Brick leaves to catch glimpse of a TV, and on it; Bubbles. She is about to start a press conference on Heroesbane soon, the resistance will use this as a guise to attack Brisbane's complex. Brick enters the Bar only to realize that he was the last person required to show up for this event. Brick and Skarr head out to the Complex and Brick meets with an unassuming young man, no older than 17 and Brick rips his gun away and forbids him to fight and kill himself at such a young age. However, after a heartfelt speech talking about how everyone was affected by Brisbaine's horrible actions, Brick reluctantly gives the boy his gun back. The attack is about to begin.

Tunnel Runners- Opening up with an explosion, Brick and the soldiers storm Brisbaine's complex! Brick clears the roof of snipers and begins to head in, but is cut off by the same super soldier that killed Jenny! After a brief skirmish, it is made apparent that this man ALSO killed Raven, as well as the entirety of the Teen Titans! Brick wastes no time completely overpowering and outspeeding this human only to be cut off by yet another super soldier! Skarr and his men assault the bowels of the complex and meet with the one and only Brisbaine. Skarr prepares to make an example of him personally, were it not for his pleads of innocence, insisting that a scientist named "Cranston Utonium" was the real mastermind behind what became The Panic! Cranston shows himself, killing all of the soldiers in a single flaunt of power and saving Skarr for a personal kill.

The Shining Rays of Amaterasu- Brick beats the two super soldiers back with relative ease and prepares to finish them off were it not for the ground exploding underneath him caused by a strange white girl, causing him to barrel back and break several of his bones! The two soldiers sacrifice their body and mind to empower the girl, having her reach a power once thought impossible! Brisbaine shows up and helps Brick during this battle, but it's not enough. Brick is quickly grounded and pacified in little more than a single hit. Even the young soldier Brick tried to save shows up to try to help him, but he knows he's not strong enough. However, Butch grants Brick power from beyond the grave allowing him to stand and fight! He engages the girl, now recognized as Starfire to a one on one fight that shatters the very heavens! The battle in outer space is visible from Earth and after a long battle that tested Brick's body and Mind, he unleashes all of his power at once to pacify Starfire. Were it not for Buttercup's unexpected help, Brick may not have survived the fall back to Earth. Brick uses Raven's gem to calm the Shira within Starfire. Brick sees Starfire's death as another failure to protect those he cares about.

Closure- Buttercup finally musters the courage to enter the Tomb of the Chronometal wars to go to Blossom's Grave. A heartfelt speech is spoken from the hurting Buttercup... Brick and Him talk about the power Brick mustered from Butch's spirit and as it turns out, it may have something to do with Brick making contact with Boomer from the Future. Butch's wounds flare up and Him helps carry him to the hospital. Later, in a nondescript location, Cranston preforms experiments involving Shira on two individuals, one male and one female. In an artificial reality they are shown to be Boomer and Bunny, dead siblings to both the Powerpuffs and the Rowdyruffs. Boomer is losing his memories within the artificial dream-scape while Bunny is remembering more and more. Boomer eventually convinces Bunny to remain patient in this strange new existence they live in. Cranston said that of these two individuals, one was a mind without a body and another was a body without a mind- the base prerequisites for the Shira Project.

Mekel the Healer (Part 2)- Back at the hospital, Brick meets with Mekel and Dexter once more. Mekel is dressed as Military and explains to Brick that he was once a member long ago and even worked close with Brisbaine. Mekel states that this is going to be his last day as a freelance doctor and is going to be rejoining the military, not only as a doctor but as a kind of Spiritual Warrior as well. Dexter and Mekel near Olga, only to have Brick realize that during his absence, Mekel and Dexter had put mechanical implants into Olga's spine. Dexter puts a kind of cylinder into a socket in her spine. Apparently this is supposed to emulate a soul. Dexter and Mekel leave as Bubbles enters to have her arm checked out. They hit it off and share in mutual grief over what recently transpired. Finding out they seem to have more in common than not, Bubbles offers Brick the ability to stay at her house. He accepts and Bubbles hands him a letter that Dexter gave her. It states that Dexter has left the Hero game and won't be returning and he asks that Brick protect Olga from now on. Brick mentions this to Bubbles and she accepts having Olga join them. Brick insists that Olga won't be much fun, but to his surprise... Olga talks back to him!

These stories initially started off with the goal of just filling out the previous page, but it grew into its own kind of story. Not as long as any of the other stories so far, but still a pretty long and eventful side story involving Brick alongside the Panic. This story will build into The Black War very closely and all of the events within it will resonate along with the Ending to The Panic, which is now obviously confirmed to be Tangent 2. Thanks for reading!

"It's such a fine line between clever and stupid."

The Chronometal Wars, a fan-fiction taking place in the PPGD Universe. Catastrophe is the only certainty.

I'll be making the next part which will be the prologue to the next story soon. So far I've narrowed which stories to start down to 2.

1: The Black War. Taking Place after The Panic and The Red Story

It will be a main story, spanning 10 years and multiple chapters and a very diverse group of main characters. Focused mostly on character development.

2: The Eternal Watcher. Taking place as early as The Chronometal Prologue and as late as The Black War.

It will be a side story, taking place during many different time periods and starring Otto. But not just any Otto, this is a very special Otto. This story will be focused more on tying up loose ends and revealing to the story a very important yet never mentioned character.

-----

The reason I'm saying this is because I'm biding my time and thinking the story out a bit more. During this time I'm gathering opinions from my known readers as to which story to do at this point. I will eventually end up doing both, but I will do which one people want me to do the most first. So if you are a reader of my story but haven't posted or PMed me before, now would be a great time to do so! Whichever story you want me to make first, either post in the thread or PM me. Every opinion counts, and as always; thanks for reading.

"It's such a fine line between clever and stupid."

The Chronometal Wars, a fan-fiction taking place in the PPGD Universe. Catastrophe is the only certainty.

At a certain time, certain people start to notice the days run together. Not figuratively, either. They can see time for what it is, it’s like a river, constantly rushing in one direction, but we as people yearn to make our own paths. But like a river, time can run dry and die. Stagnation, destruction, perhaps a complete lack of life. Time without space might as well be an illusion.

Yet people throw themselves to the winds of time, understanding that there is nothing you can do about it. Like life, death, love, loss. Things that are unstoppable and all important.

Some people however live completely outside the cycle. Some wonder if it promotes a distinct lack of humanity. In his eyes, he knows nothing is more human than striving to always be something more. Something better than fate has in store.

Because “we” have all the answers, and if we don’t we soon will. No fate or God has ever stopped man’s insatiable lust for freedom and its polar opposite; control. Some people more than others, showing great aptitude and skill. The will to break out and the ability to back it up. These members, through one way or another... find their way to Time Squad.

Time Squad is known as an organization that prides itself in maintaining the stability of the past and the future. Though some people wonder if our constant meddling is what caused the future to begin with. Maybe we sculpted our future from the beginning to the end? Perhaps humanity was created by humans, in their own image?

Maybe there always was a Time Squad? Maybe there always will be? When you live outside time, you realize just how important yet pointless worrying about the future is. Because, you see... the future has already happened and will always happen. Even preventing it is in turn a seed that plants another future or perhaps even the same future. Maybe it’s all for nothing?

Every Time Squad agent has asked themselves and others these exact same questions. They all joined due to being exceptionally skilled and resistant of fate and time’s laws, yet why are they all the... same? Every Man, Woman and Child here all share the same goals and roughly the same past. They share the same questions and are within the same organization.

All for the sake of resisting fate’s draw, for fighting the indefatigable march of time. It seems ironic to break away from time’s control only to come to Time Squad and essentially end up controlling all time.

It gets really disturbing when you see yourself in another timeline. Controlling your own fate. It kind of makes you wonder why you came here in the first place. Did you draw yourself here? Was everyone in Time Squad drawn here by their Time Squad selves? Did humanity come alive because humans willed it?

It’s really hard to figure out where the Omniverse begins and Time Squad ends.

He lies in his bed, pondering these questions to himself. Every. Single. Day. Why is it this way? Why is it not any other way? He thinks more to himself, looking over at the white walls... the white floors, the white world outside.

Time Squad is so... boring. He recognizes the irony of calling an organization that controls all of existence boring, but that’s what it is. Maybe it’s just human nature? To always strive for more, to never have enough, to always be bored with what you have and envy what you don’t.

Then what greater hell is there than having everything?

He walks off his bed and checks his watch. He doesn’t have work this cycle. He has another day off. As if the grinding boredom wasn’t enough. He sighs and stands up, leaving the room. A slender goofy looking robot off to the side sees him and smiles before nearly prancing over to him.

“Ohohoh! Otto! You’re up! Did you have a good night’s sleep?” – “Hey Larry, I did, thanks.” – “Oh, what’s all this about? Are you thinking too hard again?” He pouts playfully, putting his hands on his hips. Otto rolls his eyes and walks off. Larry shakes his head slightly, but continues to smile as Otto walks away. “When you’re ready, breakfast will be done in half an hour!”

Sometimes he spends time in Time Squad HQ. Sometimes he spends time in his own token timeline. It’s more like one house or the other, really. Only when he’s off work does he usually hang out in the HQ. When he’s on the Job, he heads to his Timeline to maintain it from other people who would threaten it.

He looks into the sky as energy ebbs back and forth. The sky is white and the energy is gray, slinking into various time streams and coming out another unidentifiable end. Every day they claim infinitely more members, yet seem to lose infinitely more. Even in Time Squad people still age. They must train their past selves and re-recruit them back into Time Squad.

It’s a kind of morbid solution to the problems of human nature and the human body. Both pride and frailty prevent us from wanting to leave this realm of existence. Yet getting your younger self in is a compromise for immortality, even if a lot is lost in translation.

Otto shudders, knowing he’s one of the newer generations of Time Squad agents who hasn’t had to do that yet. He wonders what keeps these people going. There are people here who are on their hundredth rotation. People from the renaissance, people from the middle ages, the near past, the far future. All relative to his own timeline of course, but to him he still has a connection to his own time.

He has people he can call friends back in his own Earth... But... like many other of his questions, he wonders if he will simply outgrow or perhaps figure them out with age. Maybe his connections to his past, his stupid questions about time and space, maybe they will all fade with time. He both hopes this is the case... and fears it may actually come true.

“HEYHEYHEY! Champ! How’ve ya been?!” A buff suited man with a face full of stubble lets out, patting Otto’s back as he passes. “Fine, Tuddrussel.” – “Bah, doesn’t sound like it! Sounds like you’ve woken up on the wrong side of the Omniverse again! Come on, let’s get Larry, he said he’d add double bacon this morning!” Buck Tuddrussel says, leading Otto by his back.

As they walk through the place, Otto wonders to himself, didn’t this place look different yesterday? Or was it... the day before?

“Tuddrussel, has this place always seemed so... timey?” – “Haha, what do you mean?” – “I mean... look around us?” He says, stopping himself and Buck to look around. He looks around with his big goggles before wearing a small smirk.

“Looks the same t’me.” – “Are you sure?” – “Hmm... Nope. I mean, it’s Time Squad HQ. This place changes as often as time itself does, which is all the time. I mean, I ‘think’ it looked like something else once. Something... less white I think.” – “Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about. It’s depressing, everything is so... bland.” – “Gah, you’re thinking too much. Let’s chow.”

Has it always been this way? Has this place changed every day? Has he just forgotten it? Has he asked himself this question every day of his life? The concept is not impossible... and it’s frightening.

Time scoots rather fast. The breakfast blends together with the rest of his stray thoughts, Larry and Buck’s constant arguing being drowned out with thoughts and worries. Before he knows it, he’s back in his room. His clock is set to tomorrow, he returns to his time that day. He smiles, wanting to leave this place and returns to where everything makes sense.

He’s a kid... not a secret agent...

As he sleeps, he talks in his sleep, his cold breath slipping off himself like a loose fog.

“Chrono... Metal... Wars...”

(================================================)

He prepares to head out to his timeline, he’s always in such a rush to go in before Larry and Tuddrussel. In fact, today he doesn’t even care if they are here right now. He leaves a note saying he’s gone ahead and he punches a few numbers into his wrist device. He erupts into electricity and enters his time warp before it fizzles away and he’s left with the fresh air he craves.

Every time he goes to “work” it feels like a vacation. He’s outside his house, but he feels like going for a jog today. Getting his bones and muscles all set up. He’s so tired of being cramped up in HQ.

However, as soon as he gets ready to jog off, his wrist device goes off!

“No... not today! Dang it!” He mutters to himself. Someone is messing with this timeline and he has to go check it out. He looks around. Larry and Buck haven’t made it here yet. He shrugs and runs off anyway. The signal isn’t coming from too far away.

He reaches a park and looks at all the kids and parents playing and watching. Little sandboxes and wood chips everywhere. Swing sets, benches, tubes and monkey bars. He looks around and sees that everyone seems normal. Everyone seems normal... nothing seems off here. Otto plays it cool and tucks his hands into his shorts and walks through the park, scouting it out.

Everything seems normal. His device says there’s someone here, but... Otto just doesn’t get it. He walks over on 100X magnification until he reaches the core problem. He walks; facing so close to his device he can’t even see. He reaches the problem and puts his arm down to see a girl sitting on a bench.

At first she seems unfazed that someone is standing over, but then she looks over to Otto. Her eyes seem to almost light up.

“Otto...? Oh, hey!” – “Uh... h-hey... do... I know you?” The girl raises an eyebrow before standing up, giving Otto a chance to size her up. Her face is smooth and kind looking yet carries a hint of deviousness in her black eyes.

Her clothing is black with white accents and her hair is long. Otto is sure he’s never seen this girl in his life. He looks over to a device attached to her forearm. Is... is that a Time Squad device?!

“Where did you get that?” Otto asks, pointing to the device on her wrist. He raises it up and looks at it. “You don’t remember? You gave it to me.”

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Otto ponders the situation as she puts her arm down, seemingly predicting this shtick. It’s... possible that Otto gave it to her in the future or something.

“Okay, I’m going to skip the middle ground. I’m Otto, you seem to know me but I don’t know you. To whom do I have the...” He says, looking at his device as it still blares out that there’s a temporal invader here. “...Honor of meeting?” The girl nods, but sits back down on the bench.

She pats the seat next to her. Otto seems confused at first, but he has felt so tense lately that just letting it all out would feel great. He sighs and sits down.

“I guess it doesn’t matter.” – “Nah, that’s okay. My name is Barasia, you can call me Lynn.” Otto think about that name: Barasia. Is it familiar? He doesn't really know. “Lynn, huh? Well, nice to meet you. My name is Otto- though you seem to already know that. What brings you here to this timeline? My device doesn’t seem to acknowledge you yet.” Lynn looks over at Otto, still on the wooden bench overlooking all the happy children playing around.

“Given the fact that you don’t remember me, I guess I can’t really tell you. You may have an aneurism, but I think I can test you.” – “Aneurism...? Test me?” – “Does the term ‘Chronometal Wars’ mean anything to you?” Otto thinks for a moment before shaking his head.

“That’s what I thought. I don’t ‘really’ belong here I guess, I can leave if you want. I’m just here to think... to put things into perspective.” Lynn says, leaning forward and looking at the kids as they play around, but she seems to be looking at two people on a bench and a baby next to them.

A woman and a man, both with red hair. The woman is motherly and the man is burly and protective with a kind face. They both coo over a little baby as it tries to walk and play on the ground.

“Who are they?” Otto asks, noticing that the girl has taken a special attraction to this particular family. “Ah, them? That’s Rose, Randal and Ruby. A family I got the pleasure of meeting in the future.” – “Oh...” He says, still unsure of what to make of this Lynn person.

She relaxes back into the bench and looks into the clear sky as a cool breeze picks up. “You know, I find it odd that you don’t remember me. I met you in the past after all.” She says, looking at her own Time Squad device. “Yeah... back about a year before now. I’m just... looking for ways to solve the problems I have in the future.” – “You met me in the past? Why don’t I remember that?” – “I don’t know, man. Though I guess I don’t really belong here, so now’s a good a time as any to pack it up and leave.” She says with a small deal of unhappiness in her voice.

The baby girl roughly one year of age stomping around making a tantrum next to the family makes her giggle a small bit. “She was so bad when she was a baby...” She begins to walk off. “W-Wait.” Otto asks, causing her to turn around. He turns his device’s alarm off. “I... don’t really know what to make of all of this. You don’t have to leave. I’ll... figure it out later.” – “Don’t lose any sleep over it, I was just leaving anyway. Bye, Otto.” – “B-Bye Lynn.” He says as she disappears from sight.

“So... you’re saying you don’t know anything about any ‘Chrono... whatever wars?’ That’s odd...” Otto says, turning away. The man he’s talking to sighs. “What’s odd is you didn’t do your mission, Agent Osworth. That girl could be a huge danger to that time-frame. You said it yourself, she’s seen you in the past, seen that family in the future... she’s dangerous.” The imposing man lets out, never breaking his sight outside of the window.

Otto winces; he knows he’s right... Otto botched this.

“I’m... sorry, Micheal...” The man scoffs. “Leave us. We will decide what to do with her.” Otto leaves, head slumped down, leaving Micheal and the two others in the room.

Micheal looks over to the others in the room, his blue hair spilling over his eyes.

“Elly, Drax... what do you make of this... ‘Chronometal’ nonsense?”

Last edited by Birdofterror on Sun Jul 20, 2014 5:25 am, edited 2 times in total.

“That’s the last of the decorations! Spooky, if I don’t say so myself.” A man says, getting down off his ladder and backing off to view the house slightly. He rubs his face, having worked up a sweat even though it’s snowing a small bit outside. Pumpkins, Bats! Tonight is very special! A young looking woman walks out through the front door, wearing a long black sweater to combat the cold. She stands next to the man, eying the decorations. The man looks back with a semi nervous face, before she looks back with a warm smile.

“It’s perfect. Come on inside, it’s freezing out here.” She says, having him follow inside at a quick pace. She closes the door as the fireplace cracks. The man shakes his entire body, getting the cold off of his bones as a little girl quickly runs down the stairs!

“Did Dad finish setting it up? Huh? Huh?! Can I look at it now? Please, Mom? Pleeeease?” – “Ruby, it’s freezing out there. At least put on a sweater!” – “But I want to see it now!” She quickly taps her feet on the ground, unable to contain herself. The man sits down and takes a breath. “Come on, honey. It’s Halloween, the first nice day we’ve had off in... Well, ever. Let her get a little cold.” The woman looks over to the man who is nonchalantly drinking a hot drink with a dumb grin on his face.

“Oh... alright.” – “YAY!” The girl yells, running out the door and into the ankle high snow to look at the decorations. “I’ll be out with her, Dexter. When are the others getting here?” – “Shouldn’t be any longer than an hour. I sure hope they come... you know how tight Bubbles’ schedule is nowadays.” – “I know... I just want tonight to be good, you know? Have it make everything seem normal again.” She says with a voice of sadness but a face of happiness.

She closes the door, causing some snow to fall off the roof. “Dang...! It got really c-cold out here all of a sudden. Are you okay, Ruby?” She asks, starting to shiver and crossing her arms. “You should put on pants, Mom.” Ruby says with a bright face before falling backwards into the snow. She moves her arms and legs around, making a snow angel.

“It’s Halloween, but it feels like Christmas!” The girl happily states, rolling around in the snow and genuinely having fun. The woman sits down on the porch and just watches her with a warm smile on her face betraying the cold. She’s so glad she’s having fun again.

Someone walks up to the house and her eyes light up. Company!

“Buttercup! Hi, I wasn’t sure you were going to come!” – “Aw heck, Lynn. How could I miss this? I haven’t had a good old fashioned Halloween party in years. I need this, where’s the alcohol?” – “Isn’t... it a little early for that?” – “Oh pffft.” She sputters. “I’ll pace myself throughout the party.” She says happily yet dismissively and entering the house.

Ruby shoots up from the snow. “Was that aunt Buttercup?” – “Yes, honey. Wanna go say hi?” – “Yeah, it is getting kind of c-cold out here.” She stutters without missing a beat, her nose starting to grow red from the cold. “Ruby, there’s so much... snow in your hair! Here, let me get it out.” Lynn says, sitting up and rubbing the snow out of Ruby’s red hair. “Okay Mom, I can take care of my own hair, I’m almost ten! Sheesh.” – “Okay, run inside now.”

Ruby enters the house and closes the door behind her, leaving her mother Lynn outside. Before she knows it, another guest is at the door!

“Oh! Professor Utonium! How are you?” – “Fine, why do you sound surprised? Didn’t Buttercup say I was coming? I was right behind her.” – “Actually... no, she went straight in and went for the... uh... booze.” Utonium sighs but shrugs it off. “T’is the season I guess.” – “It does kind of feel like Christmas tonight, huh?” She says, looking into the sky amongst the falling snow, as does Utonium.

“It’s beautiful tonight... Blossom would have loved to see it.” – “Yeah... Colorado really ‘is’ beautiful this time of year.” They both say sadly. But Utonium looks down. “But now’s a day to be happy for what we have. Tonight is about the children. How’s Ruby doing with you guys? Has she gotten better?” – “Better...? Oh... you mean her fear.” Utonium nods, but Lynn shakes her head.

“I’m afraid not. She’s still terrified of them.” – “Oh, that’s a shame... are you guys staying in instead of trick or treating? It’s almost the perfect time.” – “Heck no! Ruby has been looking forward to this for months! It’s a little cold, sure... but she won’t be so scared... so long as big kids don’t dress up like giant robots!” – “Haha! I’m sure she’ll be fine. Do you mind if I come in?” – “Not at all, sorry for making you shiver in this weather! Come in, come in!” She follows him inside.

As soon as she enters the house she takes off her black sweater and walks up the stairs. “I’m going to go get dressed now, Dexter.” – “Okay, honey!” He says, standing up with a drink in his hand talking with Buttercup. But before they continue, Ruby is tugging at her jacket.

“Tell me another story, Buttercup!” She says with a glint in her eyes, catching Dexter’s attention. “Now, Ruby... you know how scared you get when she tells you these stories.” – “But Dad! It’s Halloween!” Dexter’s face softens. “Huh... I guess it is, isn’t it?”

Everyone laughs and some spooky stories are shared. Kids come and go with candy in their bags and buckets, this snowy Halloween bringing much more than just candy... It brings happiness, smiles, it brings hope that things can return to normal.

Thank you for reading! This was a really fun challenge to do! Conveying a specific message within a full story in a thousand words or less was fun. As always, don't feel afraid to criticize or even give me suggestions! I take them all!

Last edited by Birdofterror on Mon Oct 21, 2013 4:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Thanks! Yeah, I noticed a lot of people have done different parts of the Halloween spectrum. Some going for the dark poems, others for the scary stories, more still the fragile magic. I've read all the entries so far, I wonder how many more we will get. Thanks for reading.

"It's such a fine line between clever and stupid."

The Chronometal Wars, a fan-fiction taking place in the PPGD Universe. Catastrophe is the only certainty.

Otto has confined himself to his Time Squad quarters. That woman, that girl... she was enchanting. She was so... interesting. Yet he feels like he let everyone down by letting her just walk off. But... she wasn’t aggressive. She was just looking, right? Was it really so bad? Otto sighs as he sits on his bed, legs dangling off the side as his head droops down. His door opens slowly.

“Otto...?” – “Larry? What is it...?” He opens the door fully and closes the door behind him with a pretty down look upon his robotic face. “I heard what happened. Tuddrussel and I weren’t even there! She could have hurt you, or worse!” – “I’m still here, Larry.” Otto says, moving his vision over to Larry.

“I-I guess, but who knows who she is?” – “Wait, what do you mean? You guys haven’t found her yet? Time Squad is usually quick to respond to time travelers.” Larry raises a finger in an attempt to talk, but can’t find the words.

“How do I say this? We... can’t find her.” ... ... ... ... “What? What do you mean?” – “We mean she can’t be tracked, we think she may be from... ‘That’ universe.” Otto’s eyes go wide. “The unknown temporal timeframe? She’s from there? Are you sure?” – “Yes, well, no... but we can’t find her and the only people we’ve never been able to find have been people from that timeframe.”

Otto looks at his feet, still sitting on his bed. He met with a time traveler from the unknown section of the Omniverse...

“Did Micheal say anything about me?” – “Micheal? Time Squad Leader Micheal? No, why?” – “I really messed this up... this girl really is more dangerous than I could have imagined...” – “It’s not your fault, Otto!” Larry says, sitting on Otto’s bed next to him.

“You had no way of knowing! Sure, she didn’t belong there, but she wasn’t doing anything ‘bad’ was she?” – “No, that’s why I didn’t bring her in right away.” – “See? You were being kind, thinking with your heart, not your head. I admire that; one might even call me envious.” – “Oh, stop Larry. You have a heart; it’s just different from mine.” Otto gently punches Larry in his metal shoulder.

“Come on, Otto. We still have work to do.” – “Alright.” They get up and leave the room, walking down the bridge to the galley to meet up with Buck Tuddrussel. They find him scarfing down various meats from various times. One wouldn’t even be surprised to find dinosaur on his plate.

“Tuddrussel, we’re heading out!” Otto says. “Gfaha, you’re in a good mood.” Buck says with a mouth full of food. “I’ll catch up, you go ahead.” Rolling their eyes, Otto and Larry set their devices for Otto’s time. Their devices let off a blue electric shock and before they know it they are back in Otto’s time, just outside his house like before.

Larry checks his device and notices everything is fine. “I’ll man the house for now, Otto. If anything goes wrong I’ll be right out.” – “Sure, Larry.” Otto says, preoccupied. He walks off to the park again.

His mind swirls around with that girl in his thoughts. Otto remembers every little detail about her. Her hair color, eye color, her dress and the people she was watching. Rose, Randal and Ruby.

Was she really here just to watch them? Would any self respecting time traveler use that power to only watch someone? Did she truly care for those people enough to be content to simply sit and watch them? He sits down on the park bench and thinks some more. However, someone catches his eye, off at the other side of the park.

“Is that... Chancellor Drax?” He mutters to himself. He gets up and walks over to him. Drax at first pays this passing person no mind, then he realizes it’s Otto and looks over. “Ah, Osworth. Fancy meeting you here.” He says, in a conspicuous white suit, his red dreadlocks spilling over his shoulders with his eyes being covered by sunglasses.

“Likewise, sir. If you don’t mind me asking, what are you doing here?” – “Well, same as you. I’m on patrol here.” – “P-Patrol? With all respect sir, you’re a Chancellor! You don’t need to patrol timelines! Leave that to the grunts, leave it to me.” – “Oh, nonsense. This whole event with the black girl has gotten everyone stirring. I thought maybe I could catch a glimpse of her here if I waited long enough.” Otto turns around to view the park.

Nothing seems off today...

“Oh, one thing Otto.” Drax says, catching Otto off guard. “Y-Yes?” – “You mentioned she was here for a reason. What was it? I forget.” – “Oh.” Otto says, sitting on the bench next to Drax as he intently views Otto, waiting for his response.

“From what I could gather, she was just passing by here. A freak accident that she landing in my timeline if nothing else. She was viewing that family over there.” Otto says, pointing to the happy family of three sitting on the bench. Drax looks over and puts his sunglasses down.

“Huh... that man looks familiar...” Drax says, squinting. Otto looks over to Drax. “Sir?” – “No doubt about it, that man there is Red, his government codename. He’s very high up on the chain. You say she was here for him?” – “Kinda... I think she was really here for the kid.” – “The baby?” Drax says, looking at the squirming kid sitting on the mother’s lap.

“She knows their daughter, huh?” – “Is she important...?” – “The baby? Of course not, she’s just a baby. But the fact that she knows Red’s child intimately enough to watch them across time tells me that she has had contact with them in the future. Or at least just with the child.” – “What does that mean, Chancellor?” – “I’m not sure, yet. In all of our timelines, we don’t have record of a black clad time traveling girl ever mingling with Red’s family, his daughter least of all.” Drax puts his sunglasses back on and puts his finger to his chin.

“I wonder...” – “Sir?” – “It’s nothing. Thank you for your time, Osworth. I’ll be taking my leave now.” He gets up and activates his time cloaking device, disappearing instantly in front of Otto. Otto sighs and stays on the bench.

“I guess I’ll head back home... nothing to do here...”

(================================================)

“From what Osworth told me, Micheal... this girl seems to have intimate relations with the Government Agent Randal’s family.” – “Yet, as we all know... we have no records of that being the case, yet it does make sense. Why else would she be at that park of all places? Of all times?” – “But... that brings me back to my original question...” Drax says, almost hesitant to say what’s on his mind. A woman walks in from outside the room.

“Let me guess, you’re going to say she’s from THAT timeline?” Michael looks over to the woman, Elly and then back over to Drax. “Is this true?” – “Yes...” Micheal pauses for a moment.

“I won’t lie... it’s a possibility... in that case, we have no choice but to stay on high alert. We have no idea what this girl is capable of. Dismissed.”

More time passes and Otto once again finds himself back in Time Squad HQ. He’s sitting on a bench that overlooks a giant fall. The buildings are all chrome and seem to be floating. Buildings upon buildings upon buildings, the pour into the sky and into the abyss. There is no end to this giant city that is Time Squad. Otto stretches and looks to the sky, the ebbs of time looking peaceful today.

He’s not sure why, but he feels at ease today, even with all of the questions piercing his skull. He smiles, he got to meet Chancellor Drax yesterday. In person. They had an actual conversation! But Otto diverts his eyes and sighs. He knows the only reason he was talking to a grunt like Otto was because of his connection to this strange black girl.

“Osworth, was it?” A feminine voice lets out behind him. He turns around and as soon as he gets half of a glimpse of who was talking he scrambles to his feet and puts his hand to his head in a saluting fashion.

“G-Good morning, Chancellor Elly!” – “Haha, as you were, Osworth. Drax told me some interesting stuff yesterday.” – “H-He did?” Otto sputters, putting his hand down and taking a breath. “It seems we are all on the same page. This girl is probably from The Unknown Temporal Timeframe. If that’s true, you can never be too prepared. Are you well trained with the standard Time Squad side-arm?” She asks, Otto nodding his head, pleased of himself.

“Yes, I’ve been prepared for years. Want me to show you?” He says, proud. “As a matter of fact, yes.” She says with a coy smile. Her red eyes pierce Otto’s and he gulps. “Come.” She says, stepping onto a floating round disk that is just off the ledge. Otto shyly follows Elly onto the disk and it flies quickly down.

The flight takes some time and he spends his time scratching the back of his head and sweating.

“Is there something wrong?” She says in a kind of girly voice that doesn’t really help his situation. “N-No, ma’am. Nothing is wrong.” – “Calm down, Osworth. Relax, okay...?” He nods and gulps. Not only is he going training with one of the Chancellors...

But the Chancellor is actually really pretty. He sneaks a peak at her in between nervous coughs and scratching. She has silky green hair and red eyes. Her expression varies from hardcore to soft on a whim. She’s wearing very formal clothing that suits her status. She’s Micheal’s right hand woman and she is usually the one to get many of the more technical things done.

Drax is usually the man they call on when there’s a certain special kind of time traveling menace that just can’t be reasoned with... He’s also not a half bad football player.

Time Squad HQ has many things. A 24 hour juice bar, stadiums for all possible sports, restaurants that serve any food known to man and several that aren’t. Libraries that hold literature and records from even before recorded time. So long as you know where to look, this place has everything. I suppose that justifies its massive size. If you were to slip off an edge and not hit anything on your way down, you would be falling for days. It is very likely you would die of thirst or starvation than by hitting the bottom.

If there is a bottom.

The disk parks at a shooting range. The walls are Chrome, like everything else, but the grass is green and the trees are brown. Elly walks off of the platform first and enters the armory. She takes out a gun and shows it to Otto.

“This is the issue you worked with, yes?” Otto looks at it.

It’s solid black. The grip is ergonomic and the packed punch cannot be beat. It’s a Time Squad weapon fashioned to look exactly like a gun from his time. One of his all time favorites; The Glock 19! Otto nods and takes the weapon from Elly, checking it thoroughly.

“Yep, this can deck just about anyone. And it ain’t half bad to look at either!” He says with a grin on his face. “Think fast.” Elly says, Otto turning around and barely being able to catch what she threw at him. Ammunition. “Thanks.” He says, loading the weapon up with a satisfying *chunk*.

Elly walks up behind him and looks at the closest target. “Think you can hit that?” – “Easy.” He says, looking down the sight and barely even aiming before shooting a round clean through it, blasting the wooden target to splinters. Elly raises an eyebrow and walks beside him. “Okay, hotshot. How about that one?” She says, catching him off guard by pointing to something not on the field.

It’s a window to a nearby floating chrome building. “Can I...?” – “No one’s there. Besides, I’m a Chancellor. I’ll take the heat.” She says with a great deal of coercion. Otto nods. He takes aim at the window, several hundred more yards away than the other target. He takes his time to line it up...

... ... ... ... ... He fires the shot! The window explodes into hundreds of pieces and Elly smiles. “You’re not bad with that, I’m impressed.” – “Thanks. Anything else for me to shoot?” – “No, you’re a lot better than I thought. If that girl shows up, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” She says, almost dismissively before walking back onto the pad.

“Wait, was that all this was about?” Otto asks confused. “Yes. I needed to make sure you could defend yourself. She showed herself to you first, she may show herself again. You’re no use to us dead.” She says logically, yet coldly. “Are you coming?” Otto sighs before following her onto the pad. They begin to fly off slowly again.

... ... ... ... ...

Elly looks over to him, seeing that he looks kind of disappointed. “Look. Osworth. You’re important to us, not only as a Time Squad agent, but because you’ve had first hand experience with this girl. I came here to make sure you were prepared, because I don’t want you to die. Okay? Cheer up.” She says with a smile just warm enough to make Otto believe her. He knows he’s just a tool to them, but he smiles back anyway. Maybe there are worse things to be than a tool...?

They land back at Otto’s bench. “I’ll head back to the council and tell them there’s nothing to worry about. A boy as skilled as you with a weapon as powerful as that has nothing to fear from anyone!” She begins to walk off before something strikes her memory. She turns around, making eye contact with Otto. Her green hair slightly spilling over her eyes.

“Out of curiosity... how old are you, again?” – “I turn fourteen next week.” He says, scratching his nose. “Is this your first cycle?” He nods, nervously. Her eyes light up. She is clearly impressed. “Is that so...? With accuracy that sharp I would expect you to at least be second generation. You’re a very interesting individual Otto.” She says before walking off.

She... she called him Otto...! He sighs and sits back down on the bench like nothing happened.

“I’m a mess... I have a crush on Elly... dang it...” He says, shaking his head at himself. But before he has time to self loathe a bit more, his stomach growls.

“I wonder what Larry’s cooked up back at home.” He says, activating his Time Squad device and returning to his own time.

(================================================)

“I don’t think we have to worry about him. The kid’s a crack shot, he may even be better than you, Micheal.” – “Is that right?” He exclaims with a mixture of surprise and doubt. He looks out of the balcony window with his arms behind his back.

“Otto Osworth... just a normal thirteen year old boy who’s met with a strange girl and is apparently really good with a standard firearm.” – “Actually, he’s turning fourteen this week.” Elly says. Micheal slowly turns his view from the Time Squad HQ to her with a small grin on his face.

“W-What is it? Is it something I said?” – “You’re fond of the boy, aren’t you?” – “W-Well, yes. He’s a good worker and a good shot and he’s only on his first cycle. His credentials are... well they are even better than mine when I first joined.” – “What are you trying to say, Elly?” – “I... don’t know. Maybe that he can be of more use to us than simply the bait that lures that girl out?” He chuckles a small bit and looks back out the window.

“Almost. Just one final thing is left to be done. In case this fails, we need to be able to recreate actions just as they were.” – “You mean replace the girl, yes?” – “Of course. Without this ‘Ruby’ girl, there goes a whole timeline we’ve meddled with for nothing. We just need to be careful.” Micheal says, confident in his own words, but Elly can’t help but fidget and try to hide her worry.

“Is there something wrong?” – “It’s... just... if this doesn’t work... I mean, the girl...” Micheal sighs and walks over to Elly. “Drax can handle this. He’s done... worse things before. One more life, even one so innocent as hers will not be much of a stain. Once we have this black girl, we will rewind time. It will be like it never happened.” Elly gulps, but nods. “Okay... I understand.” – “Good. Now, get ready. I’m heading over to the temporal scanner. You head to Osworth’s timeline.”

(================================================)

“Ooph... that was great, Larry... I don’t think I could eat another bite!” – “Oh, nonsense. Have some more!” Otto smiles and digs into more of Larry’s sophisticated yet deliciously simple cooking. Eggs, pancakes, hash browns, all simple things cooked with such futuristic perfection it nearly brings a tear to Otto’s eye. Larry laughs while stirring up seconds for Buck Tuddrussel.

“I’m glad to see you happy again Otto, finally put that girl out of your mind?” – “Pretty much. Now I got ‘another’ girl on my mind... man, I’m a wreck.” He says, rolling his eyes at himself and boorishly lazing in his chair. “Another girl? OOOH! Do you have a girlfriend?!” Larry says with a kind of energy you would expect of an excited mother. “No, no, no... she’s not my type anyway. She wouldn’t possibly fall for me.” – “Nonsense! Who would be so dense as to turn down the fabled Otto Osworth, seeker of the mysterious being?” Otto raises an eyebrow.

“Who calls me that?” – “Why, everyone. You’re getting quite famous!” Otto looks over to Tuddrussel who’s been too busy eating to comment. “Is this true, Buck?” – “Hmm? Oh, yeah. You’re on everyone’s lips nowadays, kid!” He says with a mouth full of potatoes and steak. Otto can’t help but blush a small amount. “Wow... is it really like that?”

There’s... an invader in this timeline! Buck and Otto instantly shoot out of their chairs!

“Larry, is it-“ – “I don’t know, I think we should go check!” Everyone nods and leaves the house. Outside however, they are cut off by someone they didn’t expect.

“Ch-Chancellor Elly! What are you doing here?” Otto blurts out without thinking, Larry and Buck unsure of Otto’s directness at his superior. But she looks back with a slightly worried face that puts them off guard.

“Don’t go to the park. Drax is handling her.” – “Her? So she IS here! I have to go!” Otto says, trying to run off but is cut off by Elly. She has a weapon behind her back which makes Otto’s stomach drop.

“Please... leave this to us...” She says with a mixture of Sadness and... Fear? “I have strict orders to not let any of you near the park. Fail to cooperate and I’m authorized to use force.” Larry walks over to Otto and pulls him back by the arm. “Larry!?” – “Otto, listen to her. It isn’t our place. Let them handle it. From what I’ve heard, Chancellor Drax is an expert at dealing with rogue time travelers.” – “He’s an expert at ‘killing’ rogue time travelers! What if she’s not aggressive?! What if she’s killed for nothing?” Elly sighs.

“Osworth, please. This is already hard enough as it is. Return to Time Squad HQ.” – “What? Why can’t we just stay here while you do this?” – “This timeline needs to be reset after we’re done with the girl. We had to break the timeline in order to lure her here.” – “L... Lure? Break the timeline? What do you mean?” Elly diverts her eyes.

“We had to kill the little girl she was watching when she came here the first time.” Larry and Tuddrussel gasp! “YOU WHAT?!” – “It was the only way to ensure she would come! We can’t track her through time so this is all we had! We... we will reset time and it will be like it never happened after we are done.” – “What do you mean?! Who’s idea was it to kill her?! Do you have any idea what this means if you guys fail?! You’ve killed an infant and messed up the timeline! How could you?!” Elly sighs. Her eyes look weak and somewhat watery.

“P-Please understand... I didn’t want to do this. It was Micheal’s idea...” – “Otto, stop it!” Larry intervenes. “She is your superior! It is not your place to question her orders!” – “Larry, are you saying it’s okay to go killing infants on a hunch?!” Larry makes an artificial gulping noise. “What’s worse? What if Drax is in danger? We have no idea what this girl is capable of! I’m going!” He says, darting off, avoiding Elly as she objects and tries to grab him!

She pulls out her green rifle. “E-Elly...?!” Tuddrussel says sheepishly as she takes aim at Otto. Her finger vibrates on the trigger, but she knows she can’t bring herself to pull it.

“Damn it... everyone, come with me!” She says as both of them start to follow her to the park!

“DRAX!” He yells out as Drax is being held high by the throat by the Black Girl! “Os... worth... run! She’s... too... strong...!” Drax tries to say as the girl floats in the air, crushing his windpipe! “STOP IT!” Otto says, taking his gun out and taking a partially aimed shot at the girl, grazing her arm!

“AH!” She screams out, dropping Drax onto the ground, coughing and wheezing. She looks over at Otto. “Otto...! Stay out of this! I will kill them all for what they did to Ruby!” Otto’s stomach sinks. The baby girl... “I’m sorry for what happened to her! Please, turn yourself in! They will bring her back with a time reversal!” – “How can I believe you?! The Knights are evil! They destroyed this world once and they’ll do it again!” – “Kn-Knights? Who are the Knights?” He says as a red laser explodes from the ground and hits the girl in the shoulder! She falls to the ground, but lands on her hands and quickly rebounds to her feet! She holds her shoulder, it got very hurt...!

Drax rises to his feet and cocks his giant laser shotgun. “Next time I won’t miss your head! You won’t get the drop on me again!” He roars as he charges the girl down! Otto doesn’t know what to do...! The girl extends her arm out and it seems to open up to show an arsenal of guns! “Oh dang!” Drax says, attempting to block the barrage of bullets with his thick gun! He takes several bullets to the legs and arms and falls backwards! “Enough of this!” Otto yells, taking a glove out of his pocket and strapping it to his left hand and arm!

He jumps out in front of Drax and points his gun in his right hand at the girl! “I don’t want to shoot you!” – “Otto?! Why are you supporting them?!” – “They are my superiors! I work for them!” – “They are in Time Squad...? They hate Time Squad! All of them!” – “What?! What the heck are you talking about?!” The girl growls and opens up her arm again.

“If you won’t get out of my way, I’ll just go through you! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!” She says, unleashed a barrage of bullets at Otto, but the glove he took out extends out and stops all of the small bullets in mid air with a small energy disk! They fall to the ground harmlessly as he points at her with his gun and fires! She jumps into the air and quickly dives down on him, her arm now opened up into a mechanical blade! “Is this girl a robot or what...?!” He grunts as he holds off her attack with his left gloved arm!

The girl growls again, but she appears to be holding back, as she effortlessly bats Otto away once she grows frustrated of this pointless encounter. Otto slides in the dirt as she walks over to Drax, who is still helpless on the ground with fresh bullet wounds in all of his limbs! Otto takes aim with his gun and fires a shot at her head! She barely dodges the shot in time, but it nicks her face and takes some of her skin off! She recoils and covers her face with her hand, looking over to Otto with rage in her eyes.

“God damn it Otto! Fine... if you want to play like that, I won’t hold back!” She says, electricity dancing off of her and her blade coming out at full length! Otto rises to his feet and prepares to do combat with her for real this time! She takes off at the speed of sound, but Otto is able to keep up with her and turns around to block her attack! He puts then gun up to her chest, but she bats it out of his hand and kicks him back at Drax! She picks the gun up!

Otto scrambles over to Drax and takes his laser cannon away from him and takes aim at the girl! They both fire at the same time and the lasers catch each other in mid air, locking into a kind of energy struggle! Drax’s weapon is slightly stronger however, as the laser creeps over to the girl! Before she has a chance to jump away, the laser hits the gun she’s holding and fries it in her hand! “Gahh!” She moans as the laser burns her hand! She falls to her knees, wincing at the pain, but looks up at Otto with rage burning in her eyes.

Before Otto even has a chance to gauge the situation, her arm opens up to show a large cannon that fires off nearly instantly! He attempts to block, but it blasts Drax’s laser cannon in half and the cannon shell pierces his left shoulder! The impact blows him back and knocks the breath out of him, unable to even scream in pain anymore! She limps to her feet and walks over to Drax. She points her hand cannon at his head.

“It’s about time I fucking ended this, you monster!” She says, before a green blast of energy catches her off guard and she jumps backwards to avoid it! Otto barely has the strength to look over at the person who fired that shot. It’s...

Elly...!

“Drax! Osworth! Are you two okay?” She asks, getting no response from either of them. The black girl darts her eyes back and forth, no longer sure she is able to accomplish what she came for anymore.

Before anyone can say anything, she’s already punched commands into her wrist device and teleported off somewhere!

Otto regains consciousness and wakes up in a chrome hospital bed. He must be back at Time Squad HQ. He shakes his head before feeling a sharp pain in his left shoulder. He can barely move it, but it doesn’t seem to be permanently damaged. As he begins to wake up, people enter the room.

It’s Larry and Elly! “Oh, Otto! I’m so glad you’re alright!” Larry says, rushing over to his bedside. “Thanks... Larry...” He says weakly. He looks over to Elly, who’s wearing a face with many different emotions, but right now seems to be mainly one of relief.

“You’re alright... that’s good.” She says with a sigh. Otto smiles, but it quickly fades to a frown. “I almost got myself killed...” He says to himself, but directed at Elly. “If I just listened to you that could have gone a lot better.” – “If you listened to me, Drax would probably be dead.” Otto’s eyes light up. “Wait- Drax! How is he?! Is he okay?” – “He’s fine, Osw... Otto.” Elly says. Otto blushes slightly.

“I knew you were special, but I didn’t think you were capable of picking up where Drax left off. You have real potential! Drax owes you his life and we all owe you our thanks.” – “It... was nothing, really.” Elly rolls her eyes with a smile on her face. “Stop being so modest. Once you’re feeling better, I’m taking you to see Micheal. I’m sure he has nothing but good things to say too. Maybe even a...” She trails off, walking out of the room.

“Promotion.” She says as the door closes. “P-Promotion...? As in, promotion to Chancellor? Chancellor Otto...” Otto says to himself. Larry smiles, glad to see Otto is okay. “Please don’t do anything that reckless in the future, Otto.” – “I’m... not going to make any promises I can’t keep.” Larry and Otto laugh their worries away... yet they are both still kind of worried.

What if that girl comes back...?

Last edited by Birdofterror on Sun Jul 20, 2014 5:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

“Drax...?” Otto says timidly, opening the door to a futuristic infirmary. The man in the bed looks over at Otto weakly, but smiles. He’s not wearing his sunglasses and his hair is loose, not in dreadlocks.

“Osworth, hey.” He says informally through pained breathing. “Are you okay?” Otto says, closing the door behind him and walking in fully. The man groans and tries his best to sit up.

“A couple of the bullets shattered bone. I can barely move, let alone stand. But I’m alive and I have you to thank for it.” He says coolly. “I see you’re up and about, doctor let you out early, huh?” – “Yeah, I wasn’t that badly banged up. I have a hole in my shoulder, but overall I think she was going easy on me... but the way she looked at you...” Drax slowly nods.

“She seemed to have a kind of vendetta against me. I’m not sure if it was just limited to Ruby, however. Which, by the way-“ – “Yes, the timeline has been restored and the baby is safe once more.” Drax smirks. He lies down, his white hospital flap folding over the bed.

“That’s good. I don’t like doing things like that, but no one else does either. I do what has to be done.” Otto nods slightly, he understands... even if he doesn’t agree with it. Drax is just a man who follows orders, who puts the pain on himself so it doesn’t fall to others.

Drax is strong.

Drax looks over to Otto who almost seems to be smiling, but once they make eye contact he puts the grin away.

“That girl... she was acting so weird once you got there...” – “Oh?” Drax gauges Otto’s confusion and puts a doubt in his mind aside.

“She acted like she knew you too. Would you happen to know anything about that?” Otto diverts his eyes and gulps, causing Drax to grow suspicious before Otto shakes his head. “I’ve never met her before in my life. But she claims to have met me in an alternate timeline.” – “The future...?” Otto shakes his head again, confusing Drax.

“Apparently it was in the past, which confuses me. I’m on my first cycle and I haven’t traveled back in time in years, I’ve been in my own time for a while now, as well as Time Squad HQ. But she’s dead set on saying that she knows me.” Drax weakly puts his finger to his chin, barely able to even move his hand.

“Strange, yet coincidental. She says she knew me too. Not just me though, she said I was a member of an Organization... the “Knights.” I’m not sure what to make of this. I wonder...” – “Sir?” – “It may be that she knows the versions of us from the Unknown Temporal Timeframe.” Otto raises an eyebrow and thinks about that.

“That... would explain why she knows me in the past though I’ve never met her. And why she knows you and says you’re something you’re not.” Drax nods. “Alright Osworth, I’ll... ngh!” Drax says, trying to get up from the bed and feeling sharp pain!

“Are you alright?!” – “I’m... f-fine, damn these injuries...” He winces, but looks over at Otto. “Hey... Otto. Would you go in my place?” – “H-Huh?” – “It’s not much, but can you deliver what we’ve talked about to Micheal?” He painfully settles back into the bed. His arms and legs are still completely in casts. It’s amazing he was even able to move. Otto nods.

“Okay. Can I just... walk in?” – “Oh, of course not.” – “Oh...” Drax smiles. “Knock first.” Otto smirks a small bit and walks out of the room. As soon as he closes the door he finds himself swung around by someone he didn’t even see!

“OH OTTO! YOU’RE OKAY! I got called away as soon as you were admitted I was so WORRIED!” – “T-T-Tuddrussel? L-Let me down!” Buck drops Otto barely on his feet as he scrambles to find balance after the small drop. He coughs into his hand and straightens what little hair he has out.

“Yeah, I’m not hurt that bad. Drax is the one who took the brunt.” – “But he’s Drax! He’s tough; he hunts people like this every day! You’re my Otto! You could have been killed!” – “Come on, Buck. I’m fine. In fact I did so well, I’m about to pass on a message to Micheal himself.” Tuddrussel’s goggles nearly light up. “Is that right? Oh, my little Otto is growing up, it won’t be long now when you have a steady girl and we’re talking about children!” – “Dang, Buck, come on!” Otto says, prying himself away from the awkward conversation as Tuddrussel coos over the concept of Otto growing up.

Otto sighs and slows to a walk as he proceeds down Time Squad HQ. Passing through narrow bridges as buildings float all around, everything completely chrome.

Some buildings floating, some upside down, some upside down and floating. A bustle of activity, the faceless masses. They all are members of Time Squad, yet some seem almost like civilians, walking, talking, joking and laughing. Almost like this is all normal. Maybe if they were to stop for a second and look around.

People standing on walls, people floating on disks. Walking through one door and leaving through another. Otto’s only been walking for a couple minutes but he’s already thousands of miles away from where he once was. He’s near the core of Time Squad HQ. He walks to a door and his palms start to sweat. He’s been in here before informally, but now he’s going to be delivering a message from Drax about the battle.

Otto takes a breath and prepares to knock, but as his hand nears the door it opens.

“E-Elly! Uh- Chancellor Elly!” Otto stutters and fumbles to a kind of saluting gesture but Elly simply takes his hand and drags him inside. “I was actually just about to go looking for you.” – “R-Really? For me?” Otto’s heart starts beating and his palms feel sweatier than usual. “Yeah, Micheal wants to see you.”

... ... ... ... ... “Oh. Right.” Otto says with a lump in his throat. He’s not sure what he thought.

He enters the room and it stops looking like chrome all of a sudden. The walls are dark red velvet and the floor is carpeted. Fine wines and various drinks from various times line the shelves. Someone here lives in high society.

“Oh, Osworth. You’re ahead of schedule. I like a punctual man.” He says with a kind of commanding tone. Otto nervously nods. “Y-Yes, thank you, Sir! I have something to report from Chancellor Drax.” Micheal ‘and’ Elly’s eyebrows raise, both of them surprised that he’s delivering a high profile message along.

(Several minutes of frenzied explanation and time to sink in later, Otto finds himself at a round table with a cup of fizzy liquid in front of him. It tastes like coconut.)

Micheal leans back in his comfy chair, swirling a very alcoholic drink in his glass.

“Interesting. So she knows both of you from the Unknown Temporal Timeframe.” – “It’s the only thing that makes sense right now. We think so, yes.” Micheal nods, sipping slightly from his glass and putting it down on the table before looking over to Elly. “These... ‘Knights.’ They could be us, all of us, in a different timeline. One outside of Time Squad’s influence. This girl seems to hate us, but not Otto. In fact it seems like she is quite attached to you.” He says, gradually shifting his gaze over to Otto.

“Drax was right to send you to us. He never struck me as the thinking type, yet when it counts, I can always rely on him for astute judgement. I think there’s a question that’s been on your minds for quite a while now.” He says, elbows on his table, his hands meeting in front of his mouth as to display deep meaningful thought.

Otto and Elly look over at each other then back at Micheal.

“Whether or not to make you, Otto Osworth... a Chancellor.” Otto’s eyes go wide, but he keeps a level head and continues to listen. Micheal closes his eyes and smiles. “I’ve got to say, from Elly’s compliments to Drax’s recommendation to my own personal records of your experiences from afar... I must say you certainly go above and beyond the normal call of duty.” He opens his blue eyes once more, looking coolly into Otto’s.

“The Job is yours, Osworth. Should you desire more responsibility. We are just a few steps away from learning everything this girl has to show us. It would be exciting to work the field with you, Osworth.”

Last edited by Birdofterror on Sun Jul 20, 2014 6:04 am, edited 1 time in total.

(Several days later, Otto has settled into his new life. Larry and Buck have shown up multiple times this week with teary eyes and masculine congratulations, followed by hugs or handshakes. The emotions are jumbled and confusing, but the message has never been clearer: Congratulations, Otto...)

He sits at his desk, pondering the fact that he actually has a desk now. He’s even personalized his room now. It’s not all just chrome anymore. There’s actual wallpaper, carpeting, personal items... though as of this moment none of them match in either style or color, but it’s still a massive step up from what it was before and Otto knows this. He’s happy with how things are turning out.

A random man walks into Otto’s room. “Yes?” Otto asks. “Chancellors Elly and Micheal have requested your presence.” – “Ah, I see. Thank you.” He says formally as the door is closed. I guess there are no personal messages anymore; everything is spoken by a middle man or by writing. It’s been less than a week and he’s already tired of all of this formal-ness. Otto gets up from his chair and walks out of the room, starting the long walk to the Time Squad Leader’s room. Micheal’s Room.

People still on walls, people still walking, talking, crying, laughing. But... something seems different now. There aren’t as many people out today as there was say... a couple days ago. Micheal has made this girl public knowledge now. Some people are on a hunt for her, others are hiding from her. Otto imagines both actions may be pointless. This girl is not only smart, but she’s strong and fast too. If she doesn’t want to be found, she has the benefit of being completely untraceable. She has to come to us if we are to find her... and Otto doesn’t imagine that’s going to happen any time soon.

He nears the door and considers knocking. But before he knows it, the door is opened again! “Oh, Otto!” The person at the door lets out; it’s none other than Larry. “L-Larry? What are you...” He pauses and shakes his head. “It’s good to see you. It’s been a couple days.” – “Yes, it has!” Larry says with a smile. “Is there any reason you’re... here? Are we working together on something?” Otto asks. “What? Nonono, I wouldn’t have any place by a Chancellor’s side. I just came to ask some questions. Bye!” Larry says dismissively before walking away. “W-Wait, L...” Otto tries to say as he’s already out of sight.

He enters the room to notice that no one but Micheal is here. “Where is everyone?” – “They are out hunting for the girl. Even Drax, although he’s taken an escort. Barely able to walk and already on the hunt. Determination, if nothing else. Elly left shortly before you got here.” – “Do you guys have a lead?” – “As a matter of fact, yes. There are time disturbances in three timelines at the same moment. Whether this is her or just a freak coincidence, we aren’t sure. We already have people in two of the three timelines. That’s where you come in.” Otto nods, already knowing what he has to do. “Which timeline is it?” – “The last one we haven’t checked, is yours.” Otto chuckles slightly.

He was saving this for him. Perhaps a kind of ‘Chancellor’s Test?’

(================================================)

He enters the timeline and without skipping a beat, he already notices his device has gone off. But... it’s not as severe as last time. Like something ‘small’ is wrong with the timeline. He shrugs, marking it off as possibly unrelated to the girl and goes off in search of the time discrepancy anyway.

He passes the park once again, feeling like whatever it is that’s setting this off is nearby. He looks around, but finds nothing. As he sits down on the bench, he feels a little off. Not sure why, is someone watching him? He looks around, still somewhat relaxing on the Bench. He tries to look for the girl and can’t see her, yet he still feels like he’s being watched. It’s... so weird.

As he’s about to give up, something catches his eye. Someone IS watching him, but it’s not the girl. It’s... the family she was watching that one time. Otto sits up as the man and woman worriedly looks at Otto. Otto has no idea what to make of this. Before he can even make anything out, the man; Randal gets up. He walks towards Otto to his surprise.

“I... uh... don’t know if this means anything, but take this.” Randal says, taking a strange black letter out of his pocket and handing it to Otto. Randal looks back to his wife who is still wearing a confused and worried face, holding the baby.

Otto looks up at Randal. “Who gave this to you?” – “Uh... some girl in black clothing. She told us if we saw a bald kid walking around looking confused here to give you that letter... would that happen to be you?” Otto nods. “Yes, that’s me. Thank you.” Randal sighs in relief and walks back over to his wife.

What a weird way to pass along a message... what was that girl thinking?

Otto walks back to his house in his timeline and closes the door. He turns on the lights, throws the letter on the table and sits down. He tears it open and looks at the paper within.

“Ruby was returned to the timeline. You were telling the truth.” Is the first line of the letter. Otto seems very interested, but also considers taking this straight to Micheal, but he reads on.

“I’m not sure what to make of all of this. I’m beginning to think you aren’t the same Otto I’ve met in my time. I suggest we meet up and talk this out. Please come alone, I don’t want to fight. I promise. Here are the coordinates.”

As insane as this seems, Otto can’t help but think she’s telling the truth. After all, she didn’t want to fight Otto back at the park either time. Even when she went ‘all out’ she didn’t really harm him at all. Otto is convinced she is telling the truth, but he can’t afford to take risks. He HAS to take this to Micheal.

(================================================)

Micheal grunts and puts the letter down on the table. He pushes a button. “Call on Elly and Drax. We got what we wanted.” – “Understood, sir.” A man over the intercom says as Micheal takes his finger off the button. He goes deep into thought, his blue hair spilling over his eyes. It looks like he hasn’t gotten sleep in days.

“Are you okay, sir?” Otto asks. Micheal looks up. “Fine. I’m fine.” He says before taking a breath and regaining some of his composure. He runs his hands through his hair and takes another look at the letter.

“She wants to meet you alone. You say she’s being truthful that she doesn’t want to attack you. Well, so do I.” Micheal says surprisingly. “She has shown nothing but restraint around you, and she seems as confused as we are about this whole predicament. I suggest you meet with her at your earliest convenience.” Otto nods. “Okay, sir.” – “One more thing, however.” Micheal says, stopping Otto before he leaves his seat.

“I will be coming with you. I will remain unseen, that I assure you. I will eavesdrop on this situation myself. I trust you don’t mind.” Otto nods nervously. “Of course not, sir. Is there anything in specific you want me to ask her?”

Micheal pauses before shaking his head. “No. This is your meeting and yours alone. I’m sure you have many things to ask this girl, and all of them are relevant to us as a whole. If we can ascertain exactly who this girl is and what she wants, then it’s a win. The questions, I’ll leave to you.”

Last edited by Birdofterror on Fri Oct 25, 2013 2:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

Micheal is safely behind him at a fifty or so yard pace, keeping very well hidden to the point that Otto isn’t even sure if he’s here anymore.

He’s armed to the teeth. Both arms are equipped with matter manipulators, underneath his clothing is a kind of battle suit, and on his hip is his favorite hunk of iron. The girl may have burned it to a crisp in the last battle... although it could be argued that it was Otto who actually burned it; but regardless, it’s repaired now.

Scratches, burns and buff marks only tell a more extravagant history. Otto almost seems to like his gun MORE now.

Otto looks around. This specific point in time is dim, it’s night out and the moon is far from full. The sky is dark and it’s hard to see anything, though he can see light across the hill in front of him. Artificial light, it’s from a tall building. He crawls over the hilltop to see that it is filled with countless people! He can see them through the windows. To keep a low profile, he activates his time invisibility.

“Quite a view, isn’t it?” A voice from somewhere lets out, Otto knows that voice... it’s that girl...! “Down here.” She says, beckoning Otto’s eyes. She’s sitting on a lower ledge of the large hill, looking over to the building. Otto squints and slowly lowers himself down to her level. She does little more than look at him as he does this, as it is made apparent she does not perceive his movements as any kind of threat. Otto gets a good look at her even in the darkness of night. Her face has a big scar on it from where he shot... Otto even has the time to sit next to her and look at what she was looking at.

The building.

“What is this place?” – “I thought Time Squad agents knew everything.” – “Our collective knowledge, sure, but I’m a first cycle chancellor. I can’t learn everything. I’m only human.” She raises and eyebrow. “Chancellor... huh?” She says, almost legitimately impressed. Otto coughs into his hand and looks away.

“Regardless, this place is special. It’s going to erupt in flame in a few minutes.” She says calmly. “Th-Then we can’t be here!” – “Settle down, Otto. This place will be completely unaffected. The people doing the firing are trained professionals. They don’t do too well with collateral damage. The people inside are deemed guilty and are now staged to all be killed.”

Otto looks over at the building. The people inside all look... normal. Happy, even! Men and Women, he doesn’t see many children, but there are some.

“Whose building is this?” – “It belongs to a kind of terrorist. Trafficking weapons into the United States to be used against people. Not the kind of man you would invite over to see your parents, that’s for sure.” She says, raising one leg up onto the ledge with her, as the other dangles down. It’s at this point that Otto realizes that this girl is dressed differently.

She isn’t wearing a black dress skirt anymore. She is wearing military quality pants and a thin black tank top. “You like it?” She lets out as she catches Otto looking her up and down. “Oh- uh... s-sure?” He says with a red face, embarrassed. She looks back to the building with a neutral expression.

“I figured that before I find a solution to my problem, you guys are going to be on my ass for a long time. Baiting me out by killing innocents, to name just one thing.” She says, stinging Otto. She continues. “So I switched my get-up to something more combat appropriate. Nothing to get snagged, nothing to weigh me down, nothing to make me stick out. Sleek, efficient...” She trails off before looking down at her shirt. “And a little revealing, but very efficient.”

A cool breeze kicks up and her baggy pants blow slightly. “It’s about to begin...” Otto looks back at the building. Everything seems... normal...

A single shot pierces the window! Before anyone has a chance to react, one of the bullets hits a target dead center, causing a gas explosion and igniting the entire first floor!

“Th-This is horrible!” Otto blurts as he nearly jumps from his spot, but he knows he shouldn’t. This happened in time, affecting it could have negative repercussions. Why does she want him to see this?!

More bullets fly off in all directions! There is obviously a sniper in the nearby hill that Otto just can’t see. They are landing expert shots, killing their targets in one shot. But there is another person on the bottom floor, unleashing total hell on everyone! He wields a flamethrower and bulletproof shielding.

“What... is going on?” – “This is very interesting to me. I want you to tell me if you see anything out of place.” She says, looking at the travesty closely.

For a split second, both Otto’s and the Girl’s time travel devices go off, signaling a temporal distortion, but it fades almost instantaneously. The building is still on fire, the man is still in it raising hell and the sniper is still in the hills killing everyone inside.

“What... what just happened?” – “Something. Something big, for you I would guess.” – “What do you mean?” She hints by raising her bare forearm of everything except her Time Travel device.

Hers isn’t off! Her device is still chiming. Otto looks back at his, its quiet, even though it blipped that one time.

“I... don’t understand.” – “I do.” She says, with a great deal of certainty in her voice as the fifth floor of the building explodes, sending glass shards everywhere even as she refused to bat an eye. She looks over.

“My device knows the problem. Yours doesn’t.” – “What do you-“ He tries to say, being cut off. “I came to a stunning realization a while ago. You are not the Otto I know. That much is certain. It would be much harder for me to believe if it wasn’t for another fact. I’ve also killed Otto once too.” – “WHAT?!” – “Calm down. It was a much worse time. I didn’t want to do it. Besides, here you are.” She says coolly.

“You’re another Otto. Not the same one I knew, nor the other one I was forced to kill. Not just another Otto from another time, you are from a completely different plane of existence from me, aren’t you?” Otto ponders the question, before nodding slowly and responding.

“We have reasons to believe you are from a place Time Squad calls the Unknown Temporal Timeframe.” – “Oh, really? And just what is that?” – “Put simply... Time Squad scans all of time we can using The Ark as our compass and our eyes. The entire Omniverse is splayed out in front of us like a giant white sphere, yet there’s this smaller black sphere inside of our white sphere.” Otto shrugs.

“We don’t know what’s in it, why it’s there or why we can’t see inside of it, but everything from there cannot be scanned by us, even though the people and things inside of it occasionally slip out. Like you. We can’t get into it no matter how hard we try and try as we might, we cannot track anyone or anything inside of it for any reason beyond vague time discrepancies. It would really be quite impossible to find you unless you let us, like now.” He says as the building begins to crackle and dance.

The massacre appears to be over.

“There was a man in this building in my time.” – “Huh?” – “My device... it’s saying something is off. And there is something off. There was a man here in my timeline. Middle aged, had naturally green hair. He was killed in this fire.” – “Oh... I’m glad to hear that he’s not dead, but what does this mean?” – “Well, put simply... that man was Elly's father.”

Otto pauses for a second.

“Which Elly?” – “What Elly do you think? What other Ellys do you know?” – “But... that doesn’t make any sense...” – “Doesn’t it? If my time is locked out from the rest of yours, why is it so hard to believe that Elly didn’t have her dad die at this moment?”

Otto pauses.

“Who are you?” He asks. She looks over, the cinder filled breeze blowing in Otto’s direction. The darkness of night completely eclipsed by the burning building.

“I’m going to save this world. I’m known as The Black Mother. But my name is Barasia. I’ve also got another name people have started to call me by... Lynn.” – “Barasia, huh? You've said that before... but why does that name sound... familiar...?”

Before any of them know it, the building stops flickering. Like... it’s... locked in time.

Barasia’s face twists, sensing danger and she jumps from the spot she’s sitting on as a blue laser barely misses her! She jumps to the top of the hill to view the assailant, as her face breaks into a scowl.

“Micheal...!” She growls as her now naked arms open to show a variety of weapons. “You won’t find me as easy prey as Drax was, I assure you, Barasia!” He says as his blue cloak blows in the timeless breeze! Otto scrambles to climb up the hill to view the two!

“Ch-Chancellor Micheal! What are you doing?” Otto blubbers. “Osworth, you did good to probe her for information. I have all of the information I need to exterminate her now!” Barasia looks back at Otto with wide eyes. “You... OTTO!” She yells, but angrily looks back at Micheal as he charges her down with a blue scythe drawn! She unloads on him, but a blue shield erupts around Micheal and deflects the bullets back, forcing her to block as he lands a keen strike with the scythe!

She recovers from the attack, blood dripping down her arms. She stealthily puts something on the ground and backs off. Otto notices it, but he’s not sure if Micheal did! “Give it up, Barasia! Let me stuff you back into your universe where you belong.” Barasia’s ears perk up. “My... universe?” – “Surely you remember. You were taken from your universe, shortly after your battle with a little girl... you must have realized you weren’t in your universe anymore.” She furrows her brow.

“You know nothing! It was Otto who brought me into this universe!” Micheal doesn’t even look back at Otto; instead he lets out a huge laugh. “Maybe from YOUR pathetic timeline, but there was a reason I stopped work on the Barasia Project. You were far too dangerous to keep in one place... still; I’m far more interested in how you grew so weak over time.” He says insultingly.

“Weak, huh? COME AT ME THEN!” She taunts, Micheal laughs and obliges, rushing at her at full speed! But from under him a giant sphere erupts and traps Micheal inside! It was the item Barasia planted on the ground! He tries to break out, but nothing works! “Got you, now, it’s time I ended this!” She yells, jumping into the air and protruding a blade from her arm! Otto looks back and forth, unsure of how to react!

“HAAAAAA!” She roars, above to cleave down on the completely immobilized Micheal! Otto takes this time to run up to and crash into the orb, knocking it away from Barasia! The orb crashes into a boulder and shatters, spilling Micheal onto the ground, unconscious. Barasia falls to the ground and once again looks over at Otto.

“I see where your loyalties lay, Otto of this universe.” She says, with anger choking her up. “N-No! I just can’t have you kill him! We can talk this through!” – “He wants to kill me; apparently he was the man who was behind the Barasia Project. He will stop at nothing to shove me back into my universe like I never even left.” Otto darts his eyes around as she draws her blade and looks at him.

“Is-Is that really such a bad thing?” – “YES! If I can’t find something to stop the Chronometal Wars in this universe, then the entire Omniverse will be destroyed!” – “Wait, what are you talking about-“ – “ENOUGH TALK! I’ve had enough of you, all of you!” She roars as she takes off at Otto, only to have a blue energy wave hit her back! It was from Micheal!

Micheal slowly rises from the ground, clutching his arm and bleeding from his forehead. “Good... work... Osworth...” He says, walking slowly over to Barasia.

He drops to his knees and gets a good look at her face. “Sir!” Otto yells as he hits the ground.

“This... is the same girl. I’ve seen her many times before... why is she here...?” He asks himself. “Why did the Otto from her time bring her into being?” – “I don’t know, sir. We need to get you back to HQ! You’re hurt!” – “Ah, yes... of course... I can make it back on my own.” – “Oh, okay, sir.” Micheal looks back at Otto as he rises to his feet.

“Chancellor Osworth, take her back to HQ as well.” – “Wh-What?!” – “You heard me. Bring her to Elly. I will explain more as time permits.” He says, walking away and disappearing into a portal. Otto looks down on the girl with mixed emotions across his face.

“What a mess...”

Last edited by Birdofterror on Fri Oct 25, 2013 2:49 am, edited 4 times in total.

“GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” She screams out in bloody pain as an electrical jolt is fired right up her spine! The current fizzles down and her eyes seem a little glazed over. Her consciousness far more fragile than her body. She feels like she’s been strapped to this machine for years. But, there’s a fire in the back of her mind that constantly brings her sight back into focus.

“Ru...by...” Her eyes regain color slightly, as they have so many times before and she looks around the room she’s in once more. “Oh... right... I’m being tortured... by those people...” She whispers to herself. She keeps forgetting, her mind is completely muddled right now.

All four of her extremities are in clasps, a device imbedded straight into her lower back to administer electrical shocks on command of its controller. Her hair is completely ragged and her skin is cut all over. Her face most of all.

“Why...?!” She mumbles, anger boiling in her, but just like before, the four clasps shine, absorbing her excess energy and nearly knocking her unconscious again. She holds on, but she is just one stray jolt of pain away from being knocked out. Her vision is unfocused and her emotions are bolting back and forth, unable to recall why she is feeling what.

“How did you get here?” A female voice lets out. “Tell us that and we can let you go. I promise.” Her head spins, unable to even support keeping it up to so much as respond to the speakerphone. “I... don’t remember, I told you... it’s just... that thing... I told youAHHHHHHHHHH!” She screams out again as more electricity is fired up her spine, but a counter current is fired through her arms and legs to keep her conscious.

She blubbers in pain as her head sinks, her hair spilling over her entire body.

“Stop...........................” She says drawn out like it was the last word she was ever going to say. She can’t think of anything else to say.

“Your time and our time cannot coexist. Something must be letting you in AND out of our timeline! Tell us what!” The voice yells again as the girl sobs. “Barasia, ANSWER US OR YOUR PAIN WILL NEVER END!” – “I DON’T KNOW!” She screams at the top of her lungs, her face growing red and the windows among this featureless dimly lit room shake and shudder.

(================================================)

“I’M SO FUCKING STUPID!” Otto yells flipping his desk over as Larry nears him. “Otto, please! Calm down, and watch your language!” – “Larry, just shut up! I don’t need calming down right now, I need to do something!” – “Like what?! Barge in there and throw away everything you’ve worked for? Think about this, Otto! This is your entire future! Everything!” – “The only reason you and Buck are even here was because Micheal told you guys to be here, to KEEP me here!” – “That’s untrue! We really worry for you, Otto!”

Otto looks over at Larry with a very specific kind of face that even makes a life long friend like Larry be taken aback. “Get the hell out of here.” Larry looks at him with a stunned face before slowly walking out of the room without another word. The door closes behind Larry... with an enraging click on the other side being heard. The door is locked again.

“GOD DAMN IT!”

(================================================)

“What do you want me to say...?” A timid female voice is heard over the speakerphone, causing Barasia’s pupils to dilate. “No... no way...” She quietly mutters to herself.

“AH! Okay- I’ll say it...! H-Hello? Can anyone hear me in there?” – “Ruby...?!” Barasia moans, still completely bound and powerless. “RUBY! GET OUT OF HERE, RUN!” – “I-I can’t! They have me! I can’t do anything!” – “GOD DAMN IT! FUCK ALL OF YOU RAHHHHHHH!” Barasia roars and vents, her energy capping even when it at first was nothing! The device she’s strapped to quickly draining her energy.

“Barasia. Tell us what you know and no harm will come to her, we promise.” – “I AM GOING TO KILL EVERY ONE OF YOU, SO HELP ME GOD!” She roars, her power rising faster than it can be drained.

A small snicker is heard over the intercom.

“So be it.” – “AH- Barasia! HELP ME!” Ruby screams through the intercom before it cuts out with a large amount of static.

“RUBY!!!!..........?” Barasia yells before pausing for a second. Her energy dies down and she finds herself almost smiling.

Before long, the intercom opens up again.

“What are you doing?” – “You idiots... did you think I would fall for that? You know nothing about me, nothing about Ruby... Ruby isn’t there... that was a fake...” A long pause crosses the intercom.

“What makes you say that?” – “Ruby doesn’t know my name. My real name. She has never heard the name Barasia in her life.” – “Ah, so that’s it. You’re a clever one, I’ll give you that.” – “Blow it out your aAAAHHHHHHHH!”

(================================================)

“Sir... we aren’t getting anything out of her.” Elly says to Micheal over an intercom. “Keep trying.” – “Sir, if we keep this up, she will break! I’m honestly amazed she’s even still able to speak!” – “You completely underestimate her, she’s a monster. A beast of legend. She won’t break. We need to know how to enter that timeframe. Keep. Trying.” He says flatly, the intercom going silent.

Elly sighs and speaks to herself. “You haven’t seen the look in her eyes, Micheal... she is going to break... I just know it... she’s not a monster. She’s...”

“Otto, please. We don’t want to do this. Just let them finish what they are doing and they will let you out, okay? Just... settle down.” – “Buck...!” Otto fumes.

“Would you do the same in my position?” – “What do you mean?” – “There’s a girl in that room, being tortured, being broken; because of ME. A nice girl, a kind girl, a girl that does not deserve this! She is being hurt so badly because of what I’ve done and there’s nothing I can do about it.” – “Otto...”

“Please, Tuddrussel. Man to man. I have to make this right. This cannot be allowed to happen. PLEASE...”

“... ... ... ... ...”

Last edited by Birdofterror on Fri Oct 25, 2013 2:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

And he’s not alone! Tuddrussel and Larry are right behind him! “I can’t thank you guys enough for this! But you don’t need to follow me into this, this is my fight.” Otto says back to them as they continue to run down Time Squad HQ’s many chrome plated paths.

“Nonsense. I’ve wanted to see you do this ever since you joined our little group.” Tuddrussel says with a kind of adult swagger. “And what is this you’ve wanted to see me do?” – “Become a man, a real man, Otto.” Otto chokes up a little bit, but his eyes remain dead set on his goal.

He HAS to rescue Barasia!

“I wonder what the Chancellors are going to do to us if we get caught...!” Larry bellyaches. “Nothing that would be worse than living with this the rest of your life.” Otto says, quickly turning down the hall to the first teleporter. “Otto...” Larry says as Tuddrussel looks back at him, both of them wearing the same facial expression. Their little Otto has grown up...

“HALT!” A Time Squad enforcer lets out, guarding the portal. “Chancellor Otto Osworth is under house arrest until the interrogation of the terrorist is complete. Return to your room, now!” – “Let me handle this, guys.” Tuddrussel lets out, walking up to the man, roughly the same size as Buck, which is to say very big.

“You see my friend; we were just going to WAPAHHHH!” Buck yells out, mimicking the sound of a whip as he karate chops the man’s neck and he goes unconscious.

“Wow. When did you learn to succeed at physical activities?” Otto asks, otherwise impressed. “Hah, I always come through when I need to. Come on, we have to go!”

(================================================)

“You know what we’re capable of. That first Ruby was just a fake, so that we could get you to tell us what you have no reason not to. Why are you holding off on telling us so harshly?!” – “Be... Because I... d-don’t... remember, I told you...!” Barasia weakly responds, barely able to speak.

Elly turns the dial slightly to the left, less than 1% of the voltage’s maximum power. Barasia can feel it and it still seizes up her muscles.

“S-STOP...! PLEASE!” – “I will once you tell us how you traveled to and from our timeframe!” – “I KEEP TELLING YOU... I... DON’T... KNOW!”

Elly sighs as her intercom opens up.

“Elly. Enough of this. We don’t need her anymore. She’s broken, and a huge risk to all of us by simply being alive. Finish her.” Elly doesn’t even muster the nerve to deny his actions before the intercom turns off.

She blankly stares at the being within the torture chamber. Crying and shaking, inches from total mental breakdown... and now she has to kill her...?

“...”

(================================================)

Running along the walls, running on the ceiling, running on the floor. Time Squad is a labyrinth of different paths, all teeming with people from different time frames.

“SCUSE ME!” – “Coming through!” – “Terribly sorry, ah!” All three of them yell out, running through a crowd of people, reaching the second teleporter. There is no guard this time.

A small camera picks up them running from a short distance away.

(================================================)

“Is that... Otto...?” Drax mumbles, his arms and legs still shot as he sits in Micheal’s chamber. “Yes. It is. He’s broken out of house arrest and even recruited his little friends. I knew they would break. I even expected them to get this far.” Drax looks over to Micheal who still stares at the screen.

“So... what are you going to do about it...?” – “I’m not sure...” Micheal lets out flatly, the first time he’s ever said that phrase.

“I had run this situation in my head hundreds of times. I knew he wouldn’t stay put, though him recruiting his friends was only a possibility, not a guarantee. I wasn’t sure if he could make it past the guard at gate one, but he did. Should he ever make it that far... I wasn’t sure whether or not to kill him or let him go.” – “K-Kill him?” – “This... “man” now has driven purpose. I saw the doubt in his eye the minute he met this girl. Now it’s fully formed. He’s certain now. Certain that he wants to save this girl. We are certain he can’t. She cannot be allowed to live. If we can somehow talk Osworth down... that will be fantastic... but...” He says, spinning his drink in his glass.

“In all the times I went through this situation... he never backed down.” Drax gulps. He has grown to like Otto...

“SIR!” A random man blurts out, bursting into the room. “What? What is it?” – “It’s the scan you told me to do on The Ark, you told me to check it, double check it, triple check it, well I finally found something! Look!”

(================================================)

They make it to the interrogation chamber, only to be met with a blood curdling scream! Without so much as a word Otto, Larry and Tuddrussel all ram the chrome door at once! Yet it doesn’t even budge. “Stand back.” Otto lets out, pulling out his gun. “Otto...? You brought your gun?!” Larry asks, his voice drowned out by a large laser bullet that blows the door down in one shot!

They rush into the room to see Elly at a kind of Console, her hand affixed to a dial set to rush electric currents through Barasia just beyond the looking glass!

“STOP IT RIGHT NOW!” Otto yells, pointing his gun at Elly! Elly backs away, her hand flipping off the dial and it setting back to zero, Barasia’s screaming ceasing, as do her movements. Otto looks at her body, and her face. “What he hell have you been doing to her, Elly?!” – “What needed to be done...! She’s dangerous, Otto!” – “YOU’RE TORTURING A GIRL WHO NEVER HARMED ANYONE!” He yells pointing his gun at the torture console and firing, blowing a hole clean through the wall and shattering the glass, causing alarms to blare off!

“Larry, Buck! Watch the back!” – “Got it!” They both say, leaving the room. Otto slowly moves into the room, his gun still set to Elly. His finger isn’t on the trigger; he’s very disciplined with a firearm.

“Otto... you don’t have to do this...” – “I’m taking her and I’m getting out of here.” – “Otto...! She’s a minion of war! She was created to destroy worlds! We know this, we tried to summon her to our world with the Barasia Project! Once we finally got her here in stable condition, Micheal saw what was really in her eyes. She’s a killer, through and through! If we allow her to be free, she will destroy everything she can! Are you willing to sacrifice all of Time Squad for one girl?!”

Otto doesn’t respond, instead he walks through the gaping hole in the wall, eyes and gun still aimed at Elly.

He quickly turns around and pulls out a small laser knife. He slices the bindings off at Barasia’s four extremities and gives her a shoulder to lean on. Her eyes are completely dark. Her consciousness, if it’s still there... cannot be seen any longer...

Her clothes are torn and her skin is cut and bruised. Her hair is ragged and unruly. They’ve been at this non stop for hours...

Otto slowly carries Barasia through the hole in the wall, Elly seemingly unwilling to act one way or the other. She simply diverts her eyes. Otto makes it outside, Barasia’s arm still over his shoulders. What he sees would shock him if he wasn’t expecting it.

“Stand. Down. Otto.” Micheal lets out clearly. “I can’t do that sir. I’m getting this innocent girl out of here.” – “She is NOT innocent! You have not seen what I have seen of her!” – “I don’t care. With all respect, stand aside or I will be forced to move you aside.” Micheal raises an eyebrow at the threat. Wondering whether or not it’s hollow. The burning within Otto’s eye tells Micheal all he needs to know.

“I can’t let you do that, Otto. I can’t let you leave, not like this. Should she be allowed to travel freely, our entire universe is in jeopardy.” – “And how do you know that? Have you seen it?” – “I have seen the capacity for it! I don’t know what has happened to this ‘thing’ that made it so much weaker than the being I saw back during the tests, but I assure you... this beast holds an incomprehensible darkness. Should she be free, we would be doomed.” Otto shakes his head.

“I don’t have time for this. Move.” He orders, helping Barasia along the ground.

“You know the price for insubordination...” – “Time erasure. I don’t care, so long as she’s safe.” – “I wasn’t talking about you...” Micheal says, snapping his finger as Larry and Tuddrussel are dragged into the room. Otto’s eyes don’t even change.

“Fuck them.” – “O-Otto...?!” They both blurt out. “If it wasn’t for them, I would have gotten here sooner, Barasia would still be conscious. I’m getting out of here, with or without them. Don’t stand in my way, any of you.” Micheal, seemingly surprised by Otto’s cold response, snaps his fingers again as Larry and Buck are dragged away.

He begins to walk away as Elly walks beside Micheal. “S-Sir...?” She lets out timidly. Micheal looks over with a cross look across his face. “The price for insubordination, Elly... I saw you let him go.” – “S-SIR...?!” – “Prove yourself.” He says, handing Elly a weapon. It’s her old lance.

“...”

Otto manages to help Barasia limp over to a nearby portal which he can use to teleport to anywhere in time and take a breather; hopefully he will be able to bring her back to consciousness.

However, as expected... he hears someone is here to stop him. “Micheal, I told you. If you are going to stop-“ Otto says, turning around to see it’s Elly, wielding a huge electrified lance.

Otto squints and puts Barasia down next to the portal. He cracks his neck and takes his gloves out.

“I’m so sorry it had to come to this Osworth.” – “Yeah...” Otto says, ready. He draws his weapon. The platform they are standing on is circular, one bridge leading to the interrogation room.

Elly rushes Otto with speed he didn’t expect! A sonic boom breaks behind her and nearly blows Otto off his feet! But he manages to snag the thunder lance she lunges at him with one of his mechanical hands! Otto grunts, mustering freak strength to lift both the lance and Elly above him! He impales the weapon into the ground and jumps up it, readying a strike on Elly! But she’s wearing a suit of armor that allows her to take to the sky!

To Otto’s surprise, the lance fires from under him and is caught by Elly, who is flying in the air with a green flame jetpack! “If I can’t beat you, I’ll just beat your platform!” She yells, charging her lance and throwing it at the platform, electrifying it and blowing multiple ports and consoles! The bridge malfunctions and retracts! Otto can’t run, least of all with Barasia! The lance continues to electrify, but Otto pick it up, absorbing the electricity into himself, but his gauntlets absorb the brunt!

He throws the lance back at Elly who barely has the time to catch it before being knocked back by the force of the throw! She regains momentum and crashes into the platform, the electrical jolt blown off from her just enough to deactivate the floating platform and send it into free-fall! “OH DANG!” Otto yells out, barely able to stay on the platform as it falls, wind rushing all around them, blurring everything beyond!

Elly’s jetpack flares and she boosts herself at Otto as he catches her weapon once more, but he is being pushed back by the force of the jetpack! Otto’s feet slowly slide along the rumbling ground, the platform running into and shattering countless buildings as it falls! Elly nearly pushes Otto to the edge! “I’m sorry about this Otto!” She lets out one last time before making one final push!

“GAHK!” She blurts out as Barasia puts her in a choker hold! Otto manages to roll back into the middle of the falling platform, more buildings being destroyed by the falling and the rumbling making it hard to stand! “BARASIA!” Otto yells out as Elly overpowers her and throws her to the ground! Barasia is so weak right now...!

Elly spins the lance in her hand and jabs it down to go for the kill, but Barasia barely musters the strength to roll out of the way as Otto fires a shot from his Glock which hits the lance, sending it spinning off into the endless whirlwind around them! It sounds like an earthquake AND a typhoon is happening at the same time!

Barasia manages to make it Otto. Her voice so weak she’s unable to talk, but she makes eye contact and barely manages to make a nodding motion. Elly growls and takes two daggers out of her pant pockets and they flash with a bolt of lightning! She runs at the two, but Otto intervenes and grabs onto the two weapons with his gauntlets!

They both grunt and wince as each side tries to overpower the other! Elly manages to make headway and break one of Otto’s grips, whipping the dagger away and blasting his face! Blood sprays along the ground, as Otto is knocked unconscious! Barasia weakly rises to her feet and draws her arm blade! She knows she doesn’t have the physical strength to do anything!

“DAMN YOU BARASIA!” Elly roars out unexpectedly! “THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! Otto was such a good kid, and you made me kill him! I WON’T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS!” She roars throwing one of the daggers, impaling Barasia’s sword arm and knocking her flat on her back! The platform continues to fall and shatter buildings to dust! The buildings built into the side are ground to nothing and the floating buildings are blown out of the way!

Elly mounts Barasia on the ground and looks into her eyes. Both of their eyes are filled with equal amounts of rage as Elly rips the blade out of her shoulder! She readies an attack to impale her skull as a laser from somewhere blows her off Barasia! Elly shakes her head and looks around.

“Y-You...?!” – “Otto!” Larry yells out with a makeshift jetpack, carrying Buck as he holds a very low power laser! They both land on the falling platform and Larry runs over to Otto, flipping him over and gasping. “Buck! His face! There’s... so much blood...!”

“Why did you come back?!” Elly roars out. “He doesn’t care about you guys anymore!” – “Are you stupid or something?” Buck lets out. “We figured it out after the platform fell. He didn’t say that to hurt us, he said that so he could save us! If he admitted to needing our help we would have been erased and Micheal could have used us as leverage to stop Otto! He gave us enough time to run off and get these before coming to help!” – “He... what...?!” Elly lets out, shocked. Larry follows.

“Otto is a very bright young man; it even took ME a while to figure out what he was doing!” Larry shakes Otto as he begins to come to. He opens his eyes, but blood gets in it and he can’t do anything about it, he’s blind!

“Otto! You’re okay!” – “Y-Yeah...” He says, blood staining his face. He takes his gauntlets off and handing them to Larry. “O-Otto...?!” – “This too!” He says, putting his gun in Larry’s hand! Elly rises to her feet and spins the daggers in her hand.

“Buck, catch!” Larry says, throwing Tuddrussel Otto’s gun and equipping Otto’s gauntlets. Buck grins, holding one gun in each hand! Barasia and Otto are completely out of commission, it’s up to Larry and Tuddrussel!

Elly darts her eyes around, unsure of whether or not she can take this as someone explodes from out of the tempest! “Drax?!” Elly blurts out. Drax is in a battle suit that completely covers his body.

“Sorry to keep you guys waiting.” – “I don’t need your help!” – “Looks to me like you do.” He says dismissively, cracking his giant robot hands. He stands over nine feet tall with this suit on! Otto manages to get just enough vision back to crawl over to Barasia. She looks over to him, the roaring tempest and the shattering buildings deafening them.

“I’m sorry this all happened...” Otto says somberly, blood dripping off his face and onto the platform. Barasia looks into his eyes and shakes her head. “So... am... I...” She says with a very cracked voice. Otto looks back at the teleporter in the middle of the platform. It’s at less than 5% power... Larry notices what Otto is looking at.

“Go you two, we will hold them off!” – “But-“ – “It’s alright, Otto... really!” Otto gulps and limps over to the device. “S-Stop him!” Elly yells, pointing at Otto as Drax nods. “Got it!” – “HOLD IT RIGHT-“ Buck tries to say as he’s batted out of the way!

Otto reaches the machine and punches in a few numbers. “Come on... come on...!” He says as if his life depended on it! He punches in one last number and jumps out of the way of the teleporter! A portal opens up and a HUGE explosion bursts out! The portal itself shatters, but not without causing a huge shockwave to blow Drax away and blow half of the platform off! The platform splits into two pieces!

Otto is on one side, but everyone else is on the other! Otto’s side begins to capsize and he holds on to the edge with all of his might! Elly looks over at the grounded Barasia and lunges at her, but Larry cuts her off with Otto’s gauntlets!

“Otto spent so much work on this girl! I won’t LET you hurt her!” Larry says with a rare anger! He twists Elly’s arms and forces her to collapse on the ground! Buck fires round after round off at Drax who is barely standing after that explosion!

“Man... Otto is... good...” Drax lets out, forced to his knees after the attacks! “Who would have thought he would use his one chance to escape to set the portal to a large scale explosion...!” Larry and Buck surround Elly and Drax, but Elly throws her daggers down in surrender.

“I’ve had enough of this. This isn’t worth dying, or killing over.” She says, activating her jetpack and flying up above everyone. Drax looks over and shrugs as Tuddrussel stops firing.

“GUYS... HELP...!” Otto says, holding onto a capsizing half of the platform with one hand! “OTTO!” Larry yells, activating his jetpack and rushing after him! Barasia’s semi unconscious body begins to slide off the platform.

“Oh no!” Buck lets out as she falls off! He jumps off of the edge and grabs onto the unconscious girl. He looks down, noticing many buildings he’s about to crash into! “OH BOY!” He yells out, barely being snagged by Elly! “I... g-gotcha...!” She grunts to keep him airborne!

Otto loses strength and his hand lets go! “NO! OTTO!” Larry yells out, missing his hand! But to everyone’s surprise, Drax actually jumps after Otto! He grabs onto him and grinds down the sides of buildings as the pieces of the platform come apart and being to fall even faster! One of his robot arms and both of his legs grinding along the building as his other arm holds Otto in place!

There is a large flat surface below them as the platform pieces crash into it and shatter into nothing.

“You guys, get in, now!” Elly yells out, activating it to Otto’s time. “Oh, right, and take this!” Elly says, handing Otto something. It’s Barasia’s wrist device. “Why... are you guys... doing this?” – “You guys are willing to die for this girl. I don’t know what it is Micheal saw in her eyes all those years ago, but I know what I see in your eyes now, Barasia...” She says, looking into her eyes. “Now go, before Micheal catches us!” Otto nods. “Thank you!” Otto runs into the device with Barasia in tow.

The portal flares and glows a light white! They have seen this exact teleportation sequence thousands of times before, but now it seems extra special. Once the light dies down, Drax smashes the device with his robot hand. “The portal was destroyed when the platform fell. We couldn’t find Otto or Barasia. They are assumed dead.” He says, everyone nodding.

(================================================)

They explode out of the portal and fall onto each other in the middle of a clearing in Otto’s time! Otto shakes his head and notices he is on top of Barasia. Before he even has a chance to feel embarrassed, he notices she’s unconscious again!

“B-Barasia! Wake up! Wake up!” He says, shaking her over and over. Blood from his face falling onto hers. “Gah, d-damn it!” He says, wiping his face. He continues to shake her, but she won’t wake up. “No...! We’ve come so far! It can’t end like this! I won’t let it!” He inhales and locks lips, attempting CPR! But she’s still not breathing. Does she even breathe? Otto doesn’t have time to think, he has to try!

“Damn you, COME ON! Wake up! You can’t leave like this! What about... wh-what about that girl you were telling me about?! What about Ruby?!”

“Ott... o...” A faint voice lets out. “Y-Yes! Come back Barasia! Come back!” He says, looking into her barely opening eyes. Otto’s face is still slashed and bloody, but his full attention is being given to Barasia.

“I’m... okay, now... thank you...” She says before closing her eyes. Does Otto believe her...? Does he have a choice? His adrenaline rush shuts down and he collapses next to her in the middle of the grass clearing.

The wind feels nice...

Last edited by Birdofterror on Sun Jul 20, 2014 6:35 am, edited 2 times in total.

Read above if you are just now tuning in. Part 3 was updated several hours before this.

(===========================================)

The Story Of Other Otto So Far...:

Otto travels to his own time and goes on patrol. The closest thing he gets to fun nowadays is being out in the green grass of his own time, but so much the chrome metals of Time Squad HQ. While there, he encounters a strange girl who tells him her name is Barasia. Otto spread this information to his superiors and life continues as normal... for a time.

Later, Otto meets with Drax, one of the three Chancellors and leaders of Time Squad. After answering a few questions and asking a few himself, Drax leaves back for Time Squad, leaving Otto in his own time to patrol. Drax, Elly and Micheal form a devious plot to trap Barasia utilizing the young girl she is so interested in- Ruby, as bait. This leads to a confrontation Otto barely becomes a part of and Otto manages to save Drax's life, and in the action... earns a promotion. Time Squad now has four chancellors!

However, after a few weeks of down time and days to reflect on his new responsibilities, "Chancellor" Otto is summoned to Micheal's personal chambers to discuss a new problem. Several timelines have reported discrepancies at the same time and Otto is sent to his own time to check out what one of them was, while he was there he met with normal people from that time who gave him a letter. Most definitely from Barasia! Otto reads the letter and takes it to Micheal, stating she wants Otto to meet her alone. Micheal insists to tag along, but remain unseen.

Otto meets with Barasia to discuss various things. Barasia and Otto discover that Barasia is indeed from another plane of existence. Barasia once again brings up an "End of the World," but it goes over Otto's head once more. Micheal overhears what Barasia calls herself. "Barasia." Micheal attack Barasia, stating that she was a monster he saw in the past during something called "The Barasia Project." Micheal and Otto successful incapacitate Barasia, but Otto is bogged with guilt after submitting her to Elly's "care."

Not even a day passes and the Chancellors take a preemptive measure, placing Otto under house arrest as they interrogate and torture Barasia. Otto eventually convinces Larry and Tuddrussel to help him escape and break Barasia free! They run through Time Squad, taking down any in their way and break into the interrogation chamber, rescuing Barasia, a single thread of her life away from death.

An inevitable confrontation between Otto and Micheal ensues. However, Otto doesn't wish to fight. Instead, with backed threats and burned bridges, he limps with Barasia over to a time portal. Before he has a chance to activate it, Micheal sends Elly to kill him as punishment for letting him go. A raging battle ensues, and if it weren't for the help of Barasia, Larry, Tuddrussel and even Elly and Drax themselves, Otto and Barasia would have certainly died.

After barely surviving a several mile foot drop atop a massive platform, Otto and Barasia fall into Otto's timeline. Otto manages to shake Barasia to consciousness, but Otto himself passes out from exhaustion and injuries.

Otto grumbles and smacks his lips. His mouth is dry and he feels hot... A fever is starting to overtake him. His sleep is fitful and he can’t stop tensing up at every surge of pain. He huffs and sighs as he moves around, squirming on the ground.

It’s dark out and Otto is in a different place than he was when he first got here. No longer a clearing, but now he’s deep within the woods, only a small amount of light from the moon reaching him. He is lying upon a makeshift bed of cloth strewn from nearby sources. His teeth clench as his fever worsens. Someone appears from beyond the dark trees. It’s Barasia.

“Drink this.” She says, coaxing the semi-unconscious Otto to open his mouth as she squirts water from a bottle into it. Otto painfully swallows it, coughing a lot of it up, still fitfully squirming in his sleep.

“I put some medicine in this water. That should help, and so should this.” She says taking a damp rag out of one of the many pockets she has around her combat pants. She puts it on his head in an attempt to directly lower the fever as the medicine takes its effect. The giant cut across his face is now slightly stitched up. Barasia has been taking care of him...

She sits on a rogue stump and looks into the forest above, little rays of moonlight shining through. Animals and bugs making noises within the forest they are in. She ponders what she’s doing. She should just run and never come back. She’s sure Otto will be fine without her. Time Squad will probably even take him back. If Elly and Drax are that hesitant to finish the job when they had the perfect opportunity, it’s possible they could convince Micheal to let him go back to Time Squad.

And then Barasia would leave forever. Her inclusion in this universe has caused nothing but pain to herself and Otto. She softly runs a finger over her face. The torture, not initially limited to electrical shocks included direct attacks to her face and body. Her artificial skin regenerating back into a much more scarred form. She hasn’t even had the chance to look at herself in the mirror, but all of the surface data she gets from her hands tells her all she needs to know.

She looks completely different now.

She covers her face with her hands and begins to choke up. “How can I face Ruby like this...? She probably won’t even recognize me... what am I doing...” She sniffs and looks over to Otto, still fitfully turning in his sleep. “What is Otto doing?” She says in contrast to her own initial words. “Why did he risk so much, burn so many bridges just to save me? His wound got infected and now he won’t wake up. It’s been three days... what he wanted to do can’t possibly be worth this.”

She thinks about everyone back in her time, back in her universe...

Blossom, who sacrifices herself for Dexter, who at the time is too brain addled to realize what he’s doing to the world or what he’s done, falling right into The Knights’ trap and creating the Chrono Titan...

Dexter, whose mind was so warped that even his driven purpose to save everyone couldn’t stop him from ultimately being the one that heralds their ends. The key to saving the world during the First War, but the unwilling participant towards being the key that ended the world during the Second War.

Bubbles, who gave Barasia an arm and an ear when she landed in her time, talking about the actions she took in the future. Having never traveled through time before, she recited only from memory the horrible atrocities she was told by Barasia, Blossom and Otto to occur in the future. And one of Barasia’s only friends. Always called her Lynn.

Ruby, the little girl Barasia saved. The first human being Barasia ever saved in her life. She reunited Ruby with her mother and joined the Powerpuffs during the First War, but unfortunately... nothing Barasia could do would prevent Ruby’s mom from dying. Feeling utterly powerless, she left Ruby and everyone else during the Second War, to seemingly never return.

Buttercup, who sold her very soul to a Devil of sorts to gain the power required to save and protect her sisters... A truly tragic turn of events, nothing she could do was enough. The first person Barasia ever knew when she first landed in that universe. Buttercup saved Barasia’s life while also calling her Lynn, the first time Barasia has ever heard that name before. If it wasn’t for Buttercup’s actions, it’s very possible Barasia wouldn’t be here today...

Otto... A young boy in way over his head, one of the two people who summoned Barasia to their universe, along with Blossom. He sought nothing more than the preservation of the timelines, completely unaware that the Chronometal Wars would consume all of them. Yet...

In this timeline... the Chronometal Wars don’t even seem to exist. Why? The Chronometal Wars... what Otto said in the sands of sadness all those years ago before she was forced to kill him... Model M could not be stopped. It permeated all timelines, turning all things black and killing all life. So... why? Why doesn’t this universe know what Model M is?

Could it be due to this “Unknown Temporal Timeframe” nonsense? Just... what is it, anyway...?

“Ba... ra... sia...?” A faint grunting is heard. “Otto?” Barasia says, snapping out of it and walking over to him, the leaves and grass beneath her crunching as she walks towards him.

“What’s... going on... how long was I out?” – “A couple of days. You can talk now... I’m... relieved.” She says, a burden being lifted off her, but she also seems kind of... sad. She knows that she can’t abandon Otto anymore. That chance has come and gone. She’s in this to the end.

“Thank you...” – “Don’t mention it... I know you would do the same.” – “Yes... I... I would, pardon my lack of humbleness. Though...” Otto says with a pained expression on his face. He struggles to rise to a sitting position, having been out of commission for three days and only just now regaining consciousness. He sighs, resting at a sitting position and he takes the damp rag off of his head. His fever still pounds him fiercely.

“Maybe it’s the fever, but I don’t feel like buttering things up. The things Micheal and Elly were talking about. You being a kind of war god, a being of pure destruction. Please tell me... were they telling the truth?” He says without stuttering or taking a breath, the mere question beating the wind out of him.

Barasia diverts her eyes slightly. She moves back to the stump. Her legs and feet are reaching the ground, covered in her recently acquired combat pants. Her arms are crossed.

“Not anymore...” Is all she can muster after several moments of picking the perfect words. “I would be lying to you if I said I wasn’t built for that exact purpose. And I won’t lie to you, Otto. Not after you’ve come so far for me. You deserve to know the truth, about everything.” – “You’re a robot... yes?” – “For lack of a better term, or one you would be familiar with, yes I am an artificial life form.” – “How can you not be a killer now if you were programmed as one?”

Barasia smirks, almost seeming to enjoy this part of her back story. “It’s quite simple, really. My primary directive was to survive. My secondary directive was to destroy Earth by way of killing every human on it. Simply put, my secondary directive was directly contradicting my primary. My own goals were getting me killed. I was going to die if I stayed on this path.” She looks up into the sky, the moon directly above her and shining through the small gaps in the trees.

“I spent years upon years putting everything into perspective. Every little thing, from the largest continents to single individuals, everything came into focus. If I were to live, I had to scrap my secondary directive altogether. It was not an easy process... even now I wonder if it’s still in me, deep down.” Otto stays silent at that last remark. But after a few minutes of silence, he breaks the tension.

“I trust you, Barasia.”

Last edited by Birdofterror on Sun Jul 20, 2014 6:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

Several hours have passed since that moment. Otto feels relatively rested and hydrated, the fever now significantly reduced thanks to the medicine Barasia supplied. He is still sore all over; the unexpected infection of his facial wound took a rather surprising toll on Otto’s body. He sits on a steep hill, overlooking a kind of plains as the sun begins to rise ever so slowly. Otto can hear Barasia approaching.

“It’s beautiful... isn’t it?” – “The sunrise?” Barasia asks, taking a place next to Otto and looking into the sunrise. “Yeah. I guess it is.” – “I had a dream before I woke up. About my entire life, my body felt like it was on a slow downward spiral, it kept trying to stimulate my mind, keep pumping adrenaline... to not lose hope, to not die... yet, nothing worked. That is, until you gave me that medicine. But... before then, I had almost given up... I couldn’t find anything worth fighting for.” – “What...?” Barasia asks, surprised. Otto turns over to look at her as she looks back.

“Is that really so surprising?” – “Well... considering you almost just sacrificed yourself to save me... yes.” – “Ha, I can see why you see it that way.” He says enigmatically, looking back into the sunrise. The sky is starting to light up a little bit, but it’s still so dark you can see stars. “Am I... wrong...? Should I have expected you to give up after already going through so much?” – “Perhaps not. But consider what my goals were at that point.” – “Your goals?” – “Save you. Getting you to safety. I had accomplished that and passed out. Then my body broke down and my wound got infected... I was ready to die right there, you were safe, that was enough for me...” – “Otto, please stop talking like this.” Barasia cuts the conversation with.

“No, I mean it. I had burned so many bridges, made so many enemies, destroyed countless Time Squad buildings and betrayed numerous ranking officials and went back on Time Squad’s oath multiple times. My only goal was to get you to safety, because it was me that delivered you into their arms. After I saw you safe, I thought that maybe if I died right there... you would be safe and I would be free of my own stupid fucking brain.” He says, putting himself so low it would take a miracle to bring him back. But he chuckles, but it’s a kind of angry chuckle.

“And then I have the nerve to not even trust you, to ask you if the people I had just gone through so much work to betray were MAYBE right. Do you know what I’m feeling right now? To be so indecisive as to deliver you to their feet, have you be tortured to near death and then save your life, even though it was I that put it in danger in the first place, only to barely come out alive after destroying countless Time Squad buildings?! My indecisiveness almost got both of us killed and how here we are, running from Time Squad to what end?” The sun begins to raise, a solid ray of light finally burning through the sky. As the light hits both of them, a single tear and be seen trying to escape from Otto’s eye.

“This world has no place for someone like me. I’ll probably just end up betraying you for someone else in the future and nearly get them killed too. Except maybe then they’ll have the good sense to let me die.” He says coldly, being surprisingly aggressive to Barasia!

“So, what, you just want to die?!” Barasia snaps. “...” Otto doesn’t have a clear response to that question. “And then what? Huh? Where does that leave me? With a bunch of scars? No more closer to finding what I need? It would be really selfish if you just killed yourself right now, Otto!” Otto says nothing back. So many things were going through his head. Shame in himself, fear for the future, regrets for everything he has ever done...

“What would you have me do? What could I do that would possibly even begin to make this right?” – “You can help me... help me save my universe...” – “But... Barasia...” Otto says with a great deal of pause in his voice. He’s not even sure whether or not to say what he’s thinking.

“What? What is it?” – “Your universe... it... it doesn’t matter...” – “WHAT?!” – “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but even if your universe were to completely implode, everyone and everything within it completely destroyed irreparably, all of those people you knew will still exist! I mean, Blossom will still exist, Ruby will still exist... you will still exist...” Barasia growls but ponders the words Otto just laid out.

But every time she thinks about it, flashes of the Chronometal Wars burn in her eyes. “No, it’s not worth it! I’ve seen the worst with my own eyes! I won’t let it end like that!” – “Think about this, Barasia... you could live your life normally, right here in any timeline you want. Time Squad can’t even BEGIN to find you! You can live the life of freedom and peace that you desire for your universe!” – “So you’re telling me to completely abandon everyone back there? Like nothing happened?” – “... ... ... ... Yes...”

Barasia stands up and walks away without another word. Otto sighs.

Otto sits there. First for a couple seconds, then for a couple minutes. After a while he begins to feel sick. Barasia spent all of this time caring for him he feels like he just spit in her face... “Tch, haha...” He mutters to himself. “That’s another regret to chalk up.” He says, rising to his feet and turning around. He enters the forest they were just in.

She’s on a stump, messing with her time squad device, a faint image appearing before her. Otto hates to eavesdrop, but they are really the only two here. He timidly walks up to her. She looks back, surprisingly without a face of malice or anger, but one of overwhelming sadness. It looks like she’s about to cry...

“B-Barasia?” – “Have you ever seen Ruby? My Ruby?” She says, her voice starting to crack a little bit, but she maintains her composure well enough to clearly make out her words. Otto comes a little closer to look at the images floating above her Time Squad device.

It’s... a rather sad scene... A little girl in torn clothing, surrounded by countless other children. All of the children are crying except her. She stands while others sit. Even the adults seem out of willpower. They merely sit awaiting whatever comes next.

“What... is this?” – “This is Ruby’s orphanage. She was here for almost a full year after her mom died. The orphanage was crowded, understaffed and underpowered. It took round the clock maintenance to even get the generators to work. Fresh water and edible food ran thin after only the first few weeks. People thought that maybe after the first Chronometal War things would stabilize, would go back to normal... they were wrong. Kids started going hungry, food was rationed out so thinly that some staff members simply left, unable to even feed themselves, let alone the kids they wanted to help.”

“...” Otto is speechless as Barasia continues, fighting back the tears. “And Ruby is so strong. She keeps talking about her mom and her dad, people who knew how to stay strong when it really counted. I... I haven’t seen her cry since the first day we ever met, when she truly thought it was all about to be over. But after I saved her that first time, she has hung on to a fragile outlook of the world, where no matter what happens... a hero will come and save them all, so they all have to be strong, and smile...” A tear falls down Barasia’s cheek.

“A hero couldn’t come. The world ended and took her with it. The entirety of the orphanage, flashed to dust in a matter of seconds. The worst part was that all of them saw it coming. The end of the world was not swift, it was a slow process, it fell on them like a meteor, crushing their city and their hope.” – “What... is this...? What ARE the Chronometal Wars?! How could this happen?” – “You wanna know what regret fucking feels like Otto?!” Barasia angrily snaps, looking back at Otto with a red face.

“This was ALL my fault! ALL OF IT! If it wasn’t for my actions, none of this would have happened! I killed them all! There’s not a single day that goes by in my life where I don’t remember what the last look on Ruby’s face was when the end of the world broke her.” Her lip begins to quiver and her voice loses all control. She covers her mouth and takes a small breath, barely mustering the self control to force these next words out in a way Otto can understand.

“She still wasn’t scared. Her face was still strong. Until the exact moment she died, she still held out hope that a hero would swoop down and save her.” Otto diverts his eyes; he is starting to understand what Barasia’s motives are.

“You want me to abandon that timeline? You want me to abandon that girl? I... I can’t. So long as there is a single timeline out there where something like this happens to a girl like that... I can’t stop. I have to fix it. I owe her at least that much. It can’t end like this. I... I have to stop the Chronometal Wars, or die trying.” Barasia’s face loses all composure and she quickly bolts off of the stump.

“I have to be alone...” She says, slinking off into the lightly illuminated forest.

“Regret...” Otto says to himself. “Looks like we both have things from our past we have to fix, Barasia...” He leaves the forest and looks at the sun as it fully breaks over the horizon. The wind blows strongly, blowing his clothes.

“... I know what I have to do, to atone for what I’ve done. I... I will help Barasia. I will heal her world. It’s the least I can do.” Otto has found a new purpose. To live his life to help Barasia's world, to help Barasia. Nothing else makes sense but what's in front of him now. His new goal, his only goal. He will END the Chronometal Wars...

Last edited by Birdofterror on Mon Nov 11, 2013 4:27 am, edited 1 time in total.

They are looking deeply into the device. They aren’t sure what they can do yet. Otto has an idea in the making, but as of now... he’s more interested in this girl Barasia keeps mentioning. The only tether that kept her anchored to reality multiple times.

“What happened to her parents?” Otto asks, still peering into the visions spawned by the device. “Her dad died a long time ago. I know who he was, but never what he did or how he died.” – “Randal. He was a military operative. I heard from Drax that he was very high ranking. The strange thing is he didn’t die in our universe before any of the things you mentioned.” – “It’s very possible that the Chronometal Wars took him, along with everyone else...”

They keep looking at the images. They pause, rewind, and fast forward, looking at the situation from all angles.

“Her mom, however, I know exactly how she died. During the end of the First War, when Megaville was thrown into the sky, a lot of people were kidnapped. They were... bargained with for their souls. The energy required to power Malevolence had to be willing... it could not be stolen. They gave Rose an offer she simply couldn’t refuse. Ruby’s life. She made the decision quickly and I’m sure she’d make it again. Unpreventable, sad, really. At least she had the virtue of a quick death.” Barasia diverts her eyes. “Even though her sacrifice was only temporary. She still couldn’t save Ruby in the end.”

“We will save her and everyone else, don’t worry, Barasia.” – “Can... can you please stop calling me that? That was the name my bastard creator gave me. I have a name that brings me comfort instead of pain.” – “Oh, sorry, Lynn.” – “You don’t have to apologize, Otto.” – “Hey- who is that?” Otto blurts out, looking at someone in the videos.

It appears to be another girl, roughly the same age as Ruby. “What... is Ruby doing...?”

(================================================)

A girl with blue highlighted hair sobs quietly in a corner. She’s shaded by darkness and she is intentionally hiding. Ruby slowly walks over to her and when she notices Ruby is approaching, she recoils and turns her entire body around.

“Don’t... l-look at me... I’m not strong...” The girl blubbers. “What are you talking about?” Ruby lets out innocently. “I’m not strong like you, okay? I don’t... I don’t know where my parents are and- and this is an orphanage! You know why kids are here? It’s... it’s because everyone thinks my parents are dead!” The girl shakes her head and sniffs.

Ruby’s long red hair is still kept very clean and prim, as if she expects this all to be over any time now and she can walk right back into her old life like nothing happened. She looks behind herself to everyone in the center of the orphanage.

Even the adults seem to have lost hope. Everyone sits and lies around on mats or straight onto the floor. She looks back at this girl in the corner. “I’m... not stronger than these people...” – “Yes you are... you gave that speech about hope, about holding on. No one here believes you, but you always wake up with a smile on your face even when the food people say there’s nothing left, nothing for breakfast or lunch, barely anything for dinner... you keep on smiling...” – “That’s... not strength. That’s hope. A hope that tomorrow will be better.” Ruby pauses for a small moment then kneels down next to this girl. She takes her face out of her arms and looks over at Ruby.

“What’s your name?” Ruby says her eyes wide open and attentive. “K... Kally... My name is Kally” – “Kally, there is nothing in this entire universe than can stop you from being who you want to be. You want to be strong?” – “Uh... uh huh.” – “Then come with me. We can be strong together.” Ruby says, standing up and giving Kally a hand. She looks up at Ruby. She doesn’t take her hand; instead she lunges at Ruby, almost knocking her off her feet!

It’s a very tight almost painful embrace. Kally holds on for dear life, her eyes clenched shut and her teeth gritting through the emotional pain. “You... you ARE strong... you have so much hope... you... you’re even starting to affect me, haha...” She says, slowly prying herself off of Ruby. She looks into Ruby’s eyes, her own blue eyes countered by Ruby’s red. Kally gulps a small bit before turning around, nearing the orphanage door.

“Wait, where are you going?” – “You’ve given me hope that my parents are still alive out there, somewhere. I can take care of myself. If I don’t come back-“ – “Don’t talk like that! That’s not the kind of attitude someone with hope has!” – “Oh, haha... you’re right. I’ll... uh...” Kally says, at a loss for words.

“I’ll be back if- uh... after I find my parents... I’ll come back for you, Ruby.” She says, opening the door and leaving, no one stopping her.

(================================================)

“I’m... kind of interested in this girl. Do you know what happened to her?” Otto asks. “No... I’ve never seen her before in my life... I’m interested too. Let’s keep looking on... wait, what’s going on?!”

“Get back!” A tall broad shouldered bald man lets out, speaking directly to Kally! “What is that thing?!” Kally yells, scrambling to get back on her feet after it knocked her on her back! A mechanical beast that looks like a giant robot beetle imposes over both of them!

“It’s a Model M spawn! It must have been drawn to you!” – “Me? But why?!” – “Model M is drawn to positive and negative emotions alike; you must have been swimming with them for it to hunt you down like this!” – “I... I came here to find my parents! What are you doing here!?” – “Parents...? Wait are you Kally? I know your father!” – “You know my dad?!” She yells out as the Model M robot flares and charges her down again!

The battleground they find themselves in is little more than a ruined building with piles of rubble everywhere! The bald man intercepts the beetle deceptively quickly, the right sleeve of his trench coat exploding into several pieces as a robotic extension grows out! He holds the beetle off and digs his feet into the ground!

“Get out of here! I can handle it myself!” – “Is... that a Chronometal? Ruby was telling me about those!” She darts her eyes around, seeming to get an idea. She runs off, leaving the man to this giant robot!

“RAHH!” He roars out, flipping it on its back and jumping with super human height to crash down on it! But the beetle’s leg jolts and smacks him into and through a wall, causing the rotting foundations to fall down around him. He rises from the ashes like nothing happened.

The beetle rushes through the ruined walls, standing over twenty feet tall and forty feet across! The man rushes to a defensive position, but a sharp blue laser erupts from somewhere and blasts the beetle away, crashing onto its side and sliding into the ruined house!

“Who?!” – “Let’s get this started!” Kally lets out, also wearing a device not much unlike the man’s! “Francis’ research?!” – “So you do know my-“ She tries to ask as the beetle unleashes a barrage of energy, blowing them away! They land on their feet side by side, wearing identical pieces of equipment although they’ve never seen each other a day in their life.

“Okay little girl, on my go.” – “Alright.” They say to each other, rushing at the same time!

“HYAH!” – “KYAA!” They yell out, striking this machine with all of their strength time and time again! After a long time of constant battle, it falls on its side.

“Who are you, girl?” – “My name is Kally. You seem to know my dad. His name is Francis. How do you know him?” – “We were both working for the military until a short time ago. One of our partners went rogue and stole everything we worked for in the past several years. In fact, what I’m wearing around my arm is what I thought was left of our research... but what you have...” He says, pointing at the robotic extension sticking out of Kally’s arm.

“I guess Francis kept his side of our research secret from everyone, even from Micheal. I underestimated him. But... how did you know where it was? How do you know how to use it?” – “My dad showed me how to a long time ago. He told me if someone really bad ever happened and he wasn’t around to protect me, to use this. What is this? Is it really a Chronometal?” – “It’s... not quite an abomination like these Chronometals. It’s an Alphametal, a prototype for a kind of super suit. Micheal stole all of our data and created these monstrosities, but your father and I were working on a much safer device. Even now his research is saving lives...” – “Dad...”

(================================================)

“Francis? Who is that?” Otto lets out. “I don’t know... the only members of the Knights I ever knew were Micheal, Elly, Drax and Olga.” Otto and Lynn divert their eyes and think.

“And you knew nothing about this?” – “Nothing at all. They must have died during the Second War. No wonder I never knew. Whatever it is they tried to do, they must have failed alongside us.” – “...”

Otto and Lynn spend the next few hours talking about what they’ve seen and how to continue from here...

This isn’t going to be easy. Not by a longshot. But they are in it for the long haul.